


A Place in This World

by elless



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-07
Updated: 2012-12-07
Packaged: 2017-11-20 14:03:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/586154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elless/pseuds/elless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Popular sci-fi author J Ross, a.k.a. Jensen Ackles, escapes from the noise and pressures of NYC to the suburbs of Northeast Ohio after the passing of his grandmother. When he meets his neighbor, speech therapist Jared Padalecki, and Jared’s little girl Kara, Jensen’s carefully controlled and ordered world gets turned upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Place in This World

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted for Big Bang 2009

Jensen eyed the boxes in his living room dispassionately, then heaved a deep sigh. He knelt down and grabbed the closest box to him, using his pocketknife to cut the tape. It was full of DVDs, and he stacked them to the side until he could organize his whole collection. He hated this part of moving, which was why he stayed in the same tiny apartment in New York for the ten years he lived there, even after he made enough money to afford something bigger and nicer. 

He drove down from New York yesterday with his dog Brody, and the moving van arrived at the crack of dawn this morning. He’d already unpacked the bedroom, so he’d have a bed to sleep in and clothes to wear, and the kitchen, so he’d have stuff to cook with and dishes to eat on. Most of the rest was books and DVDs, odds and ends he’d collected over the years. Not too much, since he didn’t have much storage space in his old studio, but it was tedious work. He was covered in dust and small pieces of Styrofoam from the packing peanuts, his back and knees hurt from lifting boxes and bending over, and he was a little bored of looking at the detritus of his life.

Plus, this house held so many memories of his gran, of happy days spent baking cookies or playing cards or raking leaves or reading.

He had no idea what he was going to do with a four-bedroom house, not when he was used to a one-room apartment that would fit inside this living room. For now, the other bedrooms remained empty, echoing eerily without any furniture to absorb the noise, his gran’s touch evident wherever he looked. 

Brody wandered in from the kitchen and immediately sacked out on his stomach. No wonder, after spending the day running around sniffing everything and peeing on every rock, tree, bush, and exciting blade of grass in the backyard. It was good that Brody finally had a yard of his own. Jensen didn’t mind walking him everyday, but a big dog like him needed room to run and play. Jensen scratched behind his ears, then got back to work. 

He was standing in front of one of the built-in bookcases opposite the front door when his phone rang, filling the silence with the opening notes of “Big Boss Man” by Jimmy Reed. Jeff’s ring. Of course. Jensen should’ve known his agent wouldn’t leave him in peace. He fished the phone out of his back pocket, trying to remember where he left the hands-free earpiece. Had he seen it in the bedroom earlier? 

“I’m busy with the important task of sorting my books by the Dewey decimal system. What do you want?” he snapped, but the corner of his mouth lifted up in a helpless smile.

“Nice to hear your voice, too, kid,” Jeff replied dryly. “How’s it going down there?”

“Fine. Good. Just unpacking and trying to settle in.” Jensen slid a book about the moon and its effects onto a shelf and tapped his fingers against the worn wood. “I just got here, Jeff. Why are you checking up on me so soon?”

“I worry about you, kid. This was kinda sudden and unlike you. I wanna make sure you’re all right.”

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t as sudden as Jeff believed. He’d thought about it for a couple months, since his gran died and he found out she’d left the house to him. “I needed a change, a break from the noise and fast pace of New York, and Gran lived here for over 70 years. I couldn’t let someone outside the family buy this house. It was all simply…good timing.”

“I get that. I do. But why the suburbs of Ohio?”

“Hey, it’s not that bad! I have some good memories of growing up here. And I can write anywhere. All I need is my laptop and some peace and quiet.” He walked over to the big front window and stared out at the bleak landscape. Northeast Ohio in March wasn’t exactly the most picturesque time to see it, but it wasn’t unlike New York with the muted colors and bare trees. The house across the street was nearly identical to his, right down to the reddish-brown bricks and black shutters at all the windows. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were like that, as if the builders had very little imagination. He didn’t remember noticing that as a kid. 

Jeff snorted. “I’m sure. Look, kid, I just worry about you. I’ve been with you since you were this punk kid who thought he knew everything, publishing his first book and too stubborn to admit he was in over his head. You’ve grown since then, as a writer and as a person, but I can’t help wanting to keep an eye on you. I can’t do it in person anymore, so be prepared to get annoying emails and phone calls. Often.”

“Because you didn’t do that all the time anyway?” Jensen rolled his eyes. Jeff long ago grew from an agent he barely tolerated dealing with into a good friend and quasi-older brother. He loved the guy, but it didn’t mean he didn’t get exasperated with him sometimes.

“It’s my job to make sure you get enough to eat and don’t do something stupid like slip in the shower and hit your head. Who else is gonna notice you’re missing?”

“Dude, for the last time, I’m fine. Can we change the subject?” he pleaded.

Jeff sighed, and Jensen pictured him rubbing his temples, trying to ease the Jensen is being a stubborn bastard headache he often suffered through during their meetings. “Fine. Have you met your new neighbors yet?”

“I just got here yesterday, and I’ve been busy unpacking.”

“And you’re agoraphobic.”

“I’m not agoraphobic, asshole!”

“Right, you’re a hermit. Or the creepy guy across the street that parents warn their kids to stay away from.” Jeff laughed at his spluttering noises. “Okay, okay. You just get preoccupied with writing and forget everything else. But promise me that you’ll leave the house every once in awhile, okay, kid? Once a week or something.”

“I’ll have to go out to get groceries and walk the dog.”

“Ah, yes. I forgot about the puppy. How’s he adjusting?”

“Like he’s been here his whole life.”

“Good.”

“Hey, not that I’m not having a riveting time talking to you or anything, but I should go. I need to finish the stuff in the living room at least, and I want to get some writing in tonight before I collapse from exhaustion.”

“All right. Keep me updated and let me know when you reach 100,000 words. I’ll fly down and take you to dinner.”

That was a tradition with them, since he published his third book. They always celebrated major goals like that, going to a fancy restaurant and eating food that was bad for them. It kept Jensen motivated to finish, especially when he got about halfway in and inevitably wanted to scrap the whole damn thing. 

“Jeff, you don’t need to do that. I don’t expect you to come all the way to Ohio just to take me to dinner.”

“I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do for my favorite client.”

“I bet you tell all your cranky authors that.”

“Nope, kid. Just you.”

Flushing in embarrassment, Jensen coughed to cover up the awkward silence. “So, um, I’ll shoot you an email in a couple days to let you know I’m still alive.”

“I appreciate it. Take care of yourself, kid.”

Jensen flipped his phone closed and banged his head on the window a couple times. He knew Jeff meant well and cared about him, but it got annoying sometimes. Yeah, maybe he didn’t exactly have an active social life. Big deal. He was happy, and that should be enough for Jeff. And his mom, for that matter.

Brody whined at him then, bumping the backs of his knees with his cold nose and distracting him from his brooding thoughts. He let Brody out the backdoor and continued emptying the boxes sitting on his floor. This would turn out to be a good move, despite what anybody else thought. He was sure of it. 

::

Jensen saved his document and sat back, shaking the cramps out of his fingers. A couple thousand words in a few hours wasn’t much for him, not on a good day, but typing that much without a break hurt his hands more often than not lately. Jeff wanted him to get it checked out, visions of early arthritis dancing in his head no doubt, but Jensen kept putting him off. It wasn’t as if the pain continued once he stopped typing. He was fine. His back, on the other hand, was another matter. Stretching his arms over his head, he grimaced as he heard the tiny pops of his spine realigning. He should probably buy one of those expensive ergonomic desk chairs- and a desk- but he liked working in the dining room. The big bay window flooded the room with light, he had a view of the backyard and his gran’s slightly bedraggled patch of winter irises, and he could spread out his work around him. He had a stack of the other books in his Red as the Sky series to one side, for reference and getting random characters’ names right and just to skim through for inspiration, and all his copious notes and various scientific books to the other side. He needed to have his notes printed out and handy, not lost somewhere on his laptop’s hard drive.

Jensen ran his hand over the smooth wood of the table and closed his eyes, recalling so many dinners here and what he referred to as The Chip Dip War of 1995, when Josh and his dad flung spoonfuls of chip dip at each other. Gran literally fell out of her chair laughing, then made them clean up the mess. Of all the places in this house, Jensen probably had the most and best memories in the dining room, which was why he kept the dining set and let everyone else take the rest of the furniture. 

Smiling, he stood and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. Jeff would undoubtedly tell him to eat a sandwich or two while in there, but Jensen wasn’t hungry. Jeff sometimes worried about him more than his own mother did. It was sweet, in an annoying, smothering kind of way. He glanced at the half-read newspaper on the counter, folded up next to his stained coffee mug from breakfast, but simply pushed it aside to rest his elbows on the counter and lean his chin on one hand. He’d picked up The Sun Press, hoping it might help familiarize him with his new city and neighborhood, but depressing news filled every page and he just wasn’t in the mood. Shaker Heights was a good place, as far as crime went, but newspapers never seemed to report happy news, except in small boxes crammed onto the last page.

Brody whined from the living room, so Jensen went to investigate. He found him on the couch, front paws on the back of it as he stared out the window at the departing mail carrier. Jensen got him down, mentally adding obedience school to his to-do list. He opened the door to grab the mail, though it would mostly be advertisements and old stuff for his gran, since he hadn’t remembered to forward his mail yet. He held Brody back with his knee, but he was strong for a puppy and pushed past him, taking off down the driveway and across the street. He called Brody’s name, but the dog ignored him. Jensen thanked God the street wasn’t busy and hurried after him. By the time he reached him, Brody had already started digging a hole in his neighbor’s yard, tail wagging happily and tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“Shit. Brody, stop. Come on,” Jensen urged, tugging on his collar while avoiding the dirt Brody kicked up. “Brody, no! Come on, back home!” 

He managed to get him to stop and almost coaxed him toward the sidewalk when the front door opened and a head of shaggy dark curls poked around the edge of the door. Jensen froze, feeling like he did when he was twelve and Josh convinced him to egg the principal’s house. The guy leaned against the door and crossed his arms, eyeing Jensen up and down.

“Um, hey. I’m sorry about that. I’ll fix it or pay to have it fixed or whatever. He just hasn’t learned yet that not every yard is his to destroy,” Jensen babbled as the guy came all the way outside.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” he said and dropped to his knees in front of Jensen, heedless of the dirt smudging his nice pants. He held out a hand for Brody to sniff, who immediately pulled away from Jensen’s grip and leaned against the stranger. Tail thumping the ground, Brody nuzzled his neck and soaked up the attention, looking like he was in doggy heaven. “You’re a cutie, aren’t you, boy? Yes, you are.”

Jensen figured the guy was an animal lover when Brody licked his mouth and he didn’t flinch or make a disgusted face. Good to know his new neighbor wouldn’t mind Brody being around, especially if he was gonna keep running away to dig holes in his yard.

“He’s beautiful. Is he a husky?”

Jensen nodded, somewhat distracted by watching the guy’s huge hands petting Brody so gently. “The vet thinks he’s a husky mix, maybe some Malamute as well.”

“God, look at these paws! He’s gonna be huge!” He picked up one of his front paws, which amazed Jensen since Brody usually wouldn’t let him anywhere near his paws. He practically needed to be sedated to get his claws trimmed. “How old is he?”

“Less than a year. About ten months maybe. The vet had to guess.”

“You don’t know for sure?”

Jensen shrugged, blushing slightly when the guy gazed up at him with a smile playing at his lips. “I found him hanging around my apartment building about a month before I moved, half-starved and frozen. He used to whine at me and follow me whenever I left. He wouldn’t leave me alone, so I eventually brought him in. I put up signs, but no one ever claimed him, so he’s mine now.” 

With a final scratch to Brody’s back, the guy stood up, offering his hand. “I’m Jared Padalecki, by the way.”

He had a firm handshake; Jensen appreciated that. “Jensen Ackles. And this troublemaker is Brody.” His ears perked up at his name, and he turned toward Jensen with an eager, adoring look. It really wasn’t a surprise that Jensen couldn’t resist that puppy face. Once he realized Jensen didn’t have a treat for him or anything, Brody flopped down at their feet, resting his head on his paws and going to sleep.

“Jensen. You’re Judy’s grandson. She used to talk about you a lot,” he explained at Jensen’s confused expression. “I was sorry to hear about…” he trailed off awkwardly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Thanks.” He swallowed and glanced at his feet. Small talk always made him nervous. “Have you been in the neighborhood long then?”

“Almost three years.”

He shifted guiltily. He hadn’t visited his gran much in the last few years, too busy writing and avoiding everything else to take time out to come to Ohio. Which would be why he didn’t remember ever seeing Jared before. He’d definitely never forget that gorgeous face.

“It’s a good place to live,” Jared added. “You’ll like it.”

“I do so far.”

“Well, listen, I need to get going, but I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Right.”

Jared bent down to rub Brody’s ears, then headed back into his house. Hunching slightly to hook his fingers under Brody’s collar, Jensen slowly walked back across the street.

::

After he published his first book and realized he could seriously make writing into a career and not something he just did for the hell of it, Jensen quit his job at the local diner. It was awesome. He could sleep in as late as he wanted, take breaks whenever he needed to, could write in his pajamas, spend the day watching TV if he felt like it. It stopped being awesome three months later, when he missed the deadline for his first five chapters and Jeff showed up at his door. Jeff gave him hell, dragged him out for a decent meal, and demanded he start shaving everyday again. Since then, Jensen learned that if writing was a career, he needed to treat it like a job. So he got up every morning at approximately the same time, showered and shaved, dressed in somewhat nice clothes and not old sweats and jeans, and tried to put in at least 40 hours per week. Sometimes that consisted of research or simply sketching out notes or on the phone with Jeff. He had these rules for a reason, and they worked for him. Consequently, he hated anything that interrupted his routine, which was why he swore and slammed his half-full coffee mug onto the table when his doorbell rang early Saturday afternoon.

He wrestled an excitedly barking Brody out the backdoor and stalked into the living room, throwing the door open with a curse prepared. Which promptly died on his lips when he saw Jared standing on the other side.

“Um, hey,” Jensen muttered awkwardly, belatedly smiling so Jared wouldn’t think he was a moody asshole.

“Hey,” Jared replied brightly, grinning. “We just stopped by to properly welcome you to the neighborhood. Should’ve been sooner, but work and all that.”

We? Jensen stepped closer to the door, and that was when he noticed the little girl clinging nervously to Jared’s jeans-clad leg. She glanced up at him, her eyes huge, then pressed her face to Jared’s thigh again. Jared stroked her dark hair, tugging gently on her ponytail, but she didn’t raise her head.

“Right. That’s…thanks. You wanna come in?”

“Sure.” Jared extricated his little girl enough to walk inside, but she stayed close to him the whole time. “She’s not normally this shy. I think she woke up too early this morning. Oh, yeah, this is my daughter, Kara,” Jared told him.

“Hi, Kara. Nice to meet you.” Jensen had no idea what else to say. He was never very good with kids. His oldest nephew hid from him every time Jensen came in a room until he was three. He didn’t think he was intimidating or anything, just unsure of what to do. Babies were easier; you just held them.

“We brought treats for Brody and some cookies for you. Wanna give Mr. Ackles the stuff, baby?” Jared nudged Kara in the shoulder, and she finally turned toward Jensen, holding out a gift bag to him.

“Thank you. I’m sure Brody will love the treats. Do you want to meet him?”

That perked her up, and she looked up at Jared with pleading eyes. “Can I, Daddy?”

“Of course,” Jared answered, smiling.

“Hang on. I’ll go get him.” Jensen set the gift bag on the kitchen counter and let Brody in. He danced around Jensen, eager as always to make new friends, and skidded to a halt in front of Kara. She tentatively held out a hand for him to sniff, then giggled as Brody licked her arm. It was practically puppy love at first sight for them, and Kara suddenly became much more animated, asking Jensen why Brody had one blue eye and what kind of dog he was and about a hundred other things. He answered all the questions he could, until she eventually wound down and quieted.

“So, now that Miss Chatterbox is done,” Jared said with a roll of his eyes, “I brought this for you, too. It’s a list of phone numbers, the local police station and a few of the people on the neighborhood watch, including Noah, the guy who organized the whole thing, and me. There’s also the best pizza, Chinese, and Italian delivery places in the area.”

“Wow, thanks. I appreciate it.” Jensen took the paper Jared handed him and laid it on the arm of the couch for lack of a better place.

“No problem.”

“Are you the official welcome wagon or what?”

“Nah, but someone did the same for us when we moved in, and I know how much it comes in handy. Oh, we also have sporadic community meetings. There’s one next Saturday. It’d be nice if you came, met some of the other neighbors. Noah usually hosts them. His address is on the list, too.”

He planned to write all next weekend, since he lost so much time packing and moving, but Jared gazed at him with this expression that reminded Jensen of Brody begging for extra treats, and he found himself saying yes.

“Cool. I’ll see you there.”

“I’m five and a half,” Kara announced out of the blue, standing up straighter and almost puffing out her chest. “How old are you?”

“Kara! We talked about this, remember? About how it’s rude to ask that?” Jared looked mortified.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” Jensen assured him, chuckling quietly. That was one thing he knew about kids from his nephews; they said the oddest things at the oddest times. “I just turned 34 at the beginning of this month.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s even older than Daddy, and he’s really old!” 

Jensen coughed, choking on a laugh, as Jared clapped a hand over Kara’s mouth, looking like he wanted to sink into the floor.

“All right, I think that’s our cue to leave. I’ll see you next week, Jensen.”

“Yeah. And thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome. Come on, baby, let’s get you home.”

Kara nodded reluctantly and bent down to hug Brody first. Jensen walked them to the door, then headed into the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. It was a long time before his mind settled enough to write, though, too preoccupied with his new neighbor and his precocious little girl.

::

Jensen stood in the corner of Noah’s living room, ostensibly to pile food on his plate, but really to hide. Jared had promised he’d come; that was the only reason Jensen showed up, and he felt self-conscious and out of place surrounded by people he didn’t know, all talking to each other and watching him with undisguised curiosity. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” a voice said close to his ear, making him jump and almost dump his plate all over Jared’s tight, long-sleeved tee. “Sorry I’m late. I had to wait for the babysitter,” Jared added, stepping back and stuffing a cookie in his mouth.

“No problem.” Jensen shifted uncomfortably, more than a little grateful to see Jared, not sure why it relieved him so much to have him nearby. “I was just eating.” He lifted his plate, like Jared couldn’t figure that out himself, and prayed he wasn’t blushing.

Jared smiled and turned around to lean against the table. “Small crowd today. You want me to point everyone out to you?” He jerked his chin at the room in general, crossing his arms.

“Um, sure.” Jensen copied Jared’s stance, picking at his food. 

“Well, Noah you already know.” He indicated the short guy across the room from them. He certainly didn’t look like a cop, but appearances could be deceiving. “That’s Tammy and Doug. They have six kids and a houseful of pets. You’d think it’d be chaos, but Doug’s ex-military and has it pretty well under control. Not in, ya know, a bad way. And that’s Mrs. Tolliver talking to them. She lives down the street from us and mothers everyone.”

Jensen gaped at the elderly woman by the young couple. “Mrs. Tolliver? Really? I remember her from when I was a kid! She was ancient back then!”

“She has more energy than Kara on a sugar high. She still drives, lives by herself, and has the best garden in the summer. She’ll probably outlive us all.” Jared smiled fondly at her when she glanced in their direction. “And that’s Phoebe. She’s the, uh, town bike.” Jensen raised an eyebrow, and Jared ducked his head, cheeks going red. “Everybody’s ridden her?” Jared explained sheepishly.

“Oh. Oh. Have you had a turn?” he asked, going for nonchalant and probably only achieving stupidly awkward.

“No! No, not at all. But you hear things.”

Phoebe, a pretty redhead, caught him staring and sent him a calculated, charming smile. Flushing, Jensen looked away. The last thing he needed was to give her the wrong idea, because she was so far from his type. The total opposite, really. He glanced at Jared out of the corner of his eye, momentarily caught on the way his shirt stretched tight across his broad shoulders, then hurriedly shifted his gaze back to his plate.

Noah clapped to get everyone’s attention then, and they all found seats on the various chairs and couches. The meeting mostly consisted of discussing what to do about an annoying dog, thankfully not Brody, and whether to ban those creepy lawn geese, which Jensen approved of wholeheartedly. They also talked about one of Tammy and Doug’s daughter’s birthday and the best product to kill weeds. It wasn’t as bad as Jensen had predicted, and everyone seemed nice and normal. Jensen liked everybody, even Mrs. Tolliver, who cornered him in the kitchen and gushed about what a “handsome, strapping young man” he’d grown into. He didn’t know what was worse, her stretching on tiptoes to pinch his cheeks, or Jared quietly snickering behind her. 

Afterward, they walked home together. It took Jensen longer than it should have to figure out Jared was literally walking him home. He felt stupid and awkward, but Jared continued to talk about nothing in particular, so that put him at ease.

“So,” Jared said once they hit the end of the driveway, “I can’t help but notice you don’t ever, uh, go to work.” Sticking his hands in his pockets, he smiled shyly at Jensen.

“You spying on me, Jared?” Jensen asked, digging his key out and glancing at Jared over his shoulder.

“No. Yes,” he admitted, ducking his head. “What else are neighbors for?”

Jensen shook his head and stopped by the door. “I am employed. I’m not a rich kid living off his trust fund, if that’s what you want to know. I mostly just work from home.”

“That’s cool. You’re lucky. I love my job, but it takes me away from Kara too much.”

“Yeah.” Jensen jammed his key in the lock, hoping Jared got the message and gave up on this line of questioning. 

“What do you do?”

So much for that. “I’m a writer.”

“Really? That’s cool. I wanted to be a writer once, when I was about seven. I wrote about dogs and worms and how gross girls are.”

Jensen snorted. “I’m sure it would’ve been a bestseller.”

“My mom thought so, but she was probably humoring me. I think speech therapy was probably a better career decision for me. Do you write books or what?”

“Yeah.”

“Anything I’d know?”

“Maybe. It’s mostly sci-fi.”

“I love sci-fi! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything by you, though, and your name is kinda hard to forget.”

“Well, you wouldn’t see anything by me. I publish under the name J Ross,” he explained, then immediately wanted to take the words back. He never told people who he was, just never, especially not a guy he barely knew. 

“Really?” Jared squeaked, face splitting into a wide grin that revealed two deep dimples. “Oh, my God! I love you! I mean, I love your books! My brother gave me the first Dark Heart book when I was in college, and I became obsessed, even tried to convince my professor we should read it for school. I read your last one in like a day, man. Oh, wow. I can’t believe J Ross lives across the street from me. This is so awesome!”

Alarmed at Jared’s outburst, Jensen took a step back and felt the door handle digging into his back. This was why he didn’t use his real name, why his picture wasn’t on any book jackets, why his biography hadn’t been updated in over ten years, why he didn’t do book tours or signings or give TV interviews, why he moved to Ohio. He craved that anonymity, needed it to stay sane and actually write. He never wanted to be famous or recognized on the street. He loved writing, for himself, and if he could also make a living at it, great. His first agent hadn’t understood that, and Jensen was forever grateful to Jeff for not pushing him in a direction he didn’t want to go.

Jared must’ve noticed his panic-stricken look, because his smile faded, his shoulders slumping slightly. “I am so sorry. I just went crazy stalker fanboy on you, didn’t I? It’s just that you’re one of my favorite authors and I got excited and my mom’s always telling me I need to tone it down sometimes. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t scare me exactly, but there’s a reason I don’t normally tell people who I am. I’m not sure why I told you,” Jensen said, easing the death grip he had on his keys.

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise. And I’ll stop acting like an idiot around you, once I come down off the high.” Jared smiled reassuringly at him, and somehow it lessened the tension in Jensen’s shoulders. “I swear your secret is safe with me.” 

He’d only known Jared for a short time, but he trusted him. Jensen nodded, and Jared grinned at him. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Are you working on something now? Is that why you never leave the house, except to chase after your dog?”

“Ha, ha. And yes. I have a deadline looming.”

“Which series is it for?”

“Oh, no. I’m not telling you. You’ll have to wait just like everyone else.”

“Damn. Well, I had to try.” Cocking his head to the side, Jared pursed his lips. “You know, when I was younger, I thought the lack of picture meant you were this stodgy, old professor-type, with suspenders and a pipe and a comb-over. I didn’t expect you to be this young, or this good looking. I’m glad I was wrong.”

Jensen blushed and stared over Jared’s shoulder rather than meeting his eyes. He liked that Jared used to think about what he looked like. And that he wasn’t disappointed with the reality. He saw movement across the street; Kara moving the curtains aside to press her face to the window, her babysitter pulling her back with a rueful shake of her head. Jensen waved, and Kara grinned, waving back. Jared glanced back over his shoulder and made a funny face at his daughter. And Jensen did not find it adorable.

“I should get going,” Jared told him. 

“All right.”

“Hey, I promised Kara we’d have a cookout tomorrow. You should come. It seems silly to fire up the grill for a couple burgers.”

Jensen lifted an eyebrow in surprise, since it was March, but he nodded anyway. “Sure.”

“Cool. Come around noon and maybe I can get out of you what the book you’re working on is about,” he called as he backed down the driveway.

“Don’t count on it, dude!” Jensen yelled back, smiling. It wasn’t till he got inside and kicked off his shoes that it hit him he just agreed to go to Jared’s, when he’d promised himself he’d catch up on writing tomorrow. What surprised him more was that he didn’t care about changing his plans.

::

Jensen picked his keys up off the hall table and opened the door, then stopped as Brody whined behind him. Looking down at the dog, Jensen sighed and shook his head.

“I’ll only be gone for a little while. You’ll be fine on your own.”

But Brody continued to whine, scooting forward on his stomach and giving Jensen the puppy eyes.

“All right, all right,” Jensen said, hating what a sucker he was when it came to Brody. “I’m sure Kara would love to see you, and Jared probably won’t mind. If he does, you’re coming right back here. You hear me?” 

Brody sat up expectantly, wagging his tail in excitement, when Jensen walked into the kitchen to retrieve his leash from the hook by the backdoor, then danced around in circles for a few minutes while Jensen tried to clip the thing to his collar. He had to straddle the dumb dog and hold his back end with his legs to keep him still. Finally ready, Jensen locked the door and headed across the street.

“Hey, Jensen!” Jared greeted him, eyeing Brody with a raised eyebrow.

“He was whining pathetically at me. I couldn’t leave him behind,” he explained. “Is that okay?”

“Of course. Kara will be thrilled. We can put him out back. Come on through.”

Jared held the door for him, but Brody only got a few feet inside before he had to stop and sniff everything in sight. Jensen prodded him gently with his knee and followed Jared through the living room into the kitchen. He opened the sliding deck door, and Brody bounded outside, excited for a whole new yard to pee in and dig up.

“Kara!” Jared shouted and waited for her slightly petulant “what?” before adding, “Get your butt down here! We have company!”

There was a clatter of stomping feet on the stairs and through the living room. Kara smiled when she saw him, though, and Jensen couldn’t help smiling in return.

“Hi, Mr. Ackles!”

“Hi, Kara.”

“Jensen brought a surprise, baby. It’s out back if ya wanna go check it out,” Jared told her.

“Okay!” 

“Get a sweater first.” Kara pouted at him, but Jared stared her down till she walked over to the table to grab a sweater off the back of a chair. “Thank you.”

Nodding distractedly, she raced outside and squealed when she found Brody. The dog immediately leaned into her and licked her chin.

Jared smiled indulgently. “Well, that’ll keep her busy while I grill.”

“Do you need help with anything?” Jensen asked, glancing around the slightly cluttered kitchen. Jared’s house was laid out much like his, but it was a little more modern. Jensen’s gran hadn’t felt the need to update her décor very often.

“Nah. The burgers are already on the grill, and everything else is coming out of deli containers. I’ve got it handled.”

“You do realize you’re crazy, right? You’re grilling in Ohio in March,” Jensen mentioned as he followed Jared out to the deck.

“What do you mean? It’s a nice day!” Jared defended, opening the grill to flip the burgers.

It was unseasonably warm for Cleveland at this time of year. Jensen remembered spring breaks with his gran spent shoveling snow in her driveway.

“You don’t sound like you’re from northeast Ohio,” Jensen mused, mostly to himself, but Jared must’ve heard.

“Meaning I actually have an accent?” he asked, smiling.

“Yeah.”

“I grew up about twenty minutes from here, but we lived in Texas till I was four. I also did my undergrad at UT Austin. And I guess talking to you brings it out in me. You realize the biography on your books says you live in Texas?”

“I did, when the first book was published. They just never changed it after I moved to New York about ten years ago. I like that people don’t really know where I am.”

“Helps with that anonymity, huh?” 

Jensen knew he was teasing, but he still flushed in embarrassment. He just wasn’t used to dealing with people face-to-face anymore. Jeff would probably laugh himself silly if he knew Jensen had actually left the house. Either that or he’d smile like Jensen had performed some new and amazing trick. Jensen was actually a little disconcerted that Jared read him so easily.

Jared saved Jensen from needing to answer by announcing the burgers were ready.

“Kara, go wash your hands, okay, baby?”

She dragged her heels some, but eventually made it inside and back out with clean hands. “They’re clean, Daddy. See.” She stuck her hands up for Jared to inspect, which he did with a mock-serious look on his face.

“All right. You wanna go grab the coleslaw and maybe the mustard? Whatever you can carry.” As she scampered off, Jared turned to him. “Get the plates from the counter?”

“Sure.”

He picked up the plates and helped Kara find the coleslaw in the fridge, then smiled in amusement as she loaded her arms with condiment bottles. She got to the table outside just in time, before everything tumbled away from her.

“Here ya go, Daddy. I even remembered to get a spoon for the coleslaw!” she said proudly.

“Thanks, baby. Go ahead and sit down, and we’ll eat.”

He and Jared got everything else out and sat down. There wasn’t much talking while they ate. Jensen begged an extra burger off Jared for Brody, who wolfed it down as if Jensen hadn’t fed him in days. The food was good, and Kara’s table manners impressed him, since she didn’t end up covered in ketchup.

“Can I go play with Brody again?” Kara asked hopefully, pushing her empty plate aside.

“Sure, but carry some stuff inside first and wipe your face.”

She pouted again, but did as she was told.

“She’s a cute kid,” Jensen said as he helped Jared clear the table, surprised that he actually meant it.

“Eh, she’s all right,” Jared replied, but Jensen detected the pride in his eyes.

They settled into Adirondack chairs and watched as Kara alternated between petting Brody and swinging.

“She must take after her mom,” Jensen said, then immediately wanted to smack himself for being so rude. Great, just great. Tell him his kid doesn’t look like him. That’ll make him like you. Awesome way to impress your new neighbor.

Jared simply smiled, gazing fondly as Kara rubbed Brody’s belly with her foot from her perch on the swing. “Yeah, she does. Gabby was really beautiful.”

Jensen didn’t miss the “was” part. It was pretty obvious that Jared wasn’t currently married, and Jensen was really curious, but he stayed silent, letting Jared explain only if he wanted to.

“Kara, she’s not- I mean, she’s my cousin’s. Oh, shit! Not like that!” he blurted at what Jensen knew must be his horrified look. “Kara’s not mine. I mean, she is, but I’m not her biological father.”

“Oh.” His cousin’s little girl. That explained a lot. He could see a slight family resemblance, maybe, in the dimples and dark hair, though Kara’s wasn’t Jared’s deep chestnut, but Kara had the bluest eyes, while Jared’s were a strange hazel color Jensen never knew existed.

“Gabby got sick when Kara was still a baby. The father had taken off long before that, and Gabby didn’t exactly get along with her parents. We’d always been close. More like brother and sister than cousins, ya know, so when she got sick…” He stopped to swallow and run a hand over his face. Jensen made an abortive move to touch his shoulder, sitting back in the chair and giving him an encouraging smile instead. “It happened pretty fast. Cancer. They think they missed it while she was pregnant, because of the baby. She had chemo and radiation, but it was obvious from the beginning that she wouldn’t… When she asked me to take Kara, I didn’t even hesitate. She’s been with me since she was eight months old.”

“Jared, that’s…wow, that’s…” Admirable, he wanted to say, but it seemed dumb. He couldn’t believe what Jared did for Gabby, how he stepped up to be Kara’s father like that, when he must’ve been young, scared, and still grieving for his cousin. His respect for Jared kicked up an extra notch or five.

Shifting uncomfortably, Jared shrugged. “It’s been tough sometimes, but we’ve been okay. That little girl is worth everything we’ve been through.”

Jensen nodded and glanced over to Kara, who shrieked happily as Brody rolled into her and licked her face. Brody was still a puppy, but he pretty much matched Kara in size and weight, and they were quickly becoming close friends. And Jensen did not find that adorable. 

“Kara’s wanted a dog for years now, but we’ve been busy and with my schedule, it’s not easy to take care of a pet. I promised her we would someday. I keep putting her off, though.”

“You can borrow Brody whenever you want,” Jensen said, grateful to have their conversation back on a less serious topic.

Jared laughed, grinning. “Don’t tell Kara that. She’ll be over at your house everyday.”

Kara must’ve sensed they were talking about her, because she jumped up, ran over, and climbed onto Jared’s lap. She threw her arms around his neck, snuggling against his chest and announcing dreamily, “I really like Brody, Daddy. He’s a good dog.”

Jensen snickered quietly at Jared’s eye roll. He knew a kid about to wheedle something out of her parent when he saw one.

“Yeah, baby, he’s a good dog.” He rubbed her back before tickling her ribs. Kara giggled and squirmed, and Jared kissed the top of her head. “Maybe if you’re a good girl, Jensen will bring Brody over to play again.”

“Really?” Kara’s whole face lit up, and she turned to him with a pleading expression, not unlike her daddy’s puppy dog look. There was more of a resemblance between them than he originally thought. “Can I really play with him again, Mr. Ackles?”

“Sure,” he agreed, “But call me Jensen.”

He barely got the last part out before Kara squealed excitedly and launched herself at him. His arms came up instinctively to catch her as she hugged him, her tiny body a pleasant weight against his chest.

“Thanks, Mr. Ackles!”

“Jensen,” he reminded her, poking her in the side.

She giggled, sitting back and flashing him a big, dimpled smile. “Thanks, Jensen!”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” he told her and gently tapped the tip of her nose. As Kara scrunched up her nose and hugged him again, Jensen felt something unexpected suddenly tighten in his chest. 

::

Jensen got into this routine of walking Brody twice a day, in the morning before he started writing and in the evening when he needed to stop and think about dinner. If the times happened to coincide with when Jared left for work in the morning and arrived home in the evening, Jensen certainly didn’t do it on purpose. Normally, they’d just wave at each other from across the street or Brody would pull his arm out of the socket dragging him over to Jared for hugs and cuddles. Kara always came out to play with Brody, too, and it amused Jensen how excited they got when they saw each other. Sometimes he and Jared talked, and Jensen usually went back home smiling and laughing about something Jared said.

He hadn’t known Jared for very long, but he thought of Jared as a generally happy and upbeat guy, so when he walked past Jared’s house one evening and found him sitting on his front steps, shoulders slumped and frown lines marring his forehead, Jensen instantly went on alert.

“Hey, man. You okay?” he asked, restraining Brody from crawling in Jared’s lap with both hands hooked under his collar.

“Sure, I’m-” He let out a sigh and buried a hand in the thick fur around Brody’s neck. “Not really, no.”

“What’s up?” Scooting Brody out of the way, Jensen sat on the top step beside Jared.

“My babysitter just quit, got a job everyday after school at the library, which means I have to figure out what to do with Kara when she gets home from school.”

“Sorry, Jared. That sucks. Don’t they have those latchkey programs or whatever at schools anymore?”

Jared shook his head, sighing again. “No. They cut the budget for it last year. It took me forever to find Amanda in the first place. My parents can’t do it, and I can’t leave work early, since that’s when I usually see most of my patients, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

“Well, as you’ve noticed, I’m home everyday. I could watch her,” Jensen offered, then froze with his mouth still open. What was with him agreeing to things he normally wouldn’t even consider when it came to Jared? It was probably those damn puppy dog eyes. That and he genuinely liked Jared and Kara. If he could help them out, he would.

“No offense, dude, but I hardly know you. This is my daughter we’re talking about.”

“I realize that, but I could, I don’t know, give you a list of references if you want them. What else are you gonna do?” 

“I don’t know.” Jared dropped his head in his hands and groaned. “It would just be a temporary thing, to see how you do together and until I can find another babysitter. I know Kara would love the opportunity to play with Brody that much. Are you sure you don’t mind? She’s a good kid, but won’t it interrupt your writing time or anything?”

Jensen dismissed that with a shrug. He could always make up the lost time later in the night. It wasn’t as if he had anything pressing to do after dinner besides watch TV and check his email. “I’m sure.”

“God, Jensen, you are a lifesaver. Seriously, thank you. She pretty much keeps herself amused, with cartoons or coloring or homework if she has it- her teacher gives her extra math work so she won’t get bored in class- and she’ll probably play with the dog most of the time anyway. But if she gives you any trouble, let me know.”

“We’ll be fine together, Jared. Don’t worry.”

“Can you start this Monday? Amanda’s finishing out this week at least.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, good. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning with emergency numbers and what she’s allergic to and stuff. I should tell the bus driver it’s all right if a strange man picks her up, too. She gets dropped off right at our driveway around 3 o’clock.”

“Got it, 3 o’clock. I’ll set an alarm so I don’t get caught up writing and miss her bus.”

“You’re sure this is all right?”

“As long as you are.”

Scratching Brody’s chest, Jared smiled, visibly relaxing for the first time since Jensen came over. He ignored the fluttering in his stomach that Jared’s dimples caused.

True to his word, Jared arrived the next morning with a list of phone numbers and the few things Kara was allergic to- mostly various trees and plants and penicillin. He also brought a set of crayons, one of those big boxes with 128 colors, a stack of scrap paper, a few coloring books, and some fruit, since she apparently disliked sweets.

“I have healthy food I can feed the kid, Jared,” Jensen said, a little exasperated but more amused. He also wondered what kind of kid preferred fruit to candy.

Jared shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I know. I just didn’t want to put you out any more than I already am.”

Jensen did his best to reassure Jared and sent him on his way to work. He didn’t want Jared to be late, but he could also hear his phone going off in the dining room. He grabbed it right before it switched to voicemail.

“Hey, Jeff.”

“Hey, kid. How’s it going?”

“It’s going fine. Same as when you called a couple days ago.”

“Ah, but this is business this time. That was me being annoying and checking up on you. At least I think that’s what you said in that huffy tone you get.”

“Ha, ha, asshole. What do you want?”

“Publishers want to up your deadline. Some bullshit about another high-profile book coming out too close to yours, and they want to avoid any unnecessary competition. Basically, it means you have six weeks less than we thought to get it done. I know you’re an ace and awesome and all that and can bang it out in no time. Right?” Jeff asked forcefully when Jensen stayed quiet.

Shit. He was cutting it close with this deadline anyway, between everything with his gran and moving. Watching Kara after school would not help any. But whatever. He’d just have to bust his ass in the mornings before she got there. He wasn’t about to go back on his promise to Jared.

“Right. Of course. Just, there’s no way you can negotiate more time for me?”

“Why? You busy with something else all of a sudden?”

“No,” he lied. Jeff didn’t need to know about Kara. He’d probably hop the next flight to Ohio to make sure Jensen wasn’t possessed or something. “I like having that cushion in case my characters get stubborn on me. You know that.”

“I get it, kid, but you’re lucky I finagled that much time out of them. I’m just a phone call away if you get stuck. Remember that, okay?”

“I know. Thanks, Jeff.”

“Any time.”

They chatted for a few more minutes, then Jensen poured a fresh cup of coffee and opened his laptop. He had a lot of work to do.

::

In anticipation of Monday afternoon, Jensen spent most of Sunday freaking out a little. He’d planned to write, get ahead some so the publishers wouldn’t breathe down his neck, but he started second-guessing himself over his morning coffee and paper. What had he been thinking, telling Jared he could baby-sit? Though he should know from his experiences of dealing with Brody that he was a sucker for a puppy in need, and Jared certainly looked like a puppy with that lost and sad expression in his hazel eyes.

Sighing, he set down the paper and rubbed his temples. Kara was a good kid; he knew that from their few interactions. But what was he supposed to do with a little girl for three hours every afternoon? He wasn’t exactly a Barbie-playing kind of guy or dress-up or other girly things. He hoped she played with Brody and didn’t expect him to talk to her or anything. 

His nerves settled later in the day, after a pot of coffee and some useless pacing around the house. Once he sat at the table and turned on his laptop, the characters in his head took over, and he forgot about everything else. That was why he loved to write in the first place. Why, as a shy and awkward teenager, he spent most of his time holed up in his room with a pen and stack of notebooks. He could get lost in his stories, in the worlds he created, could live out his fantasies through his characters’ lives. His parents hadn’t understood. His mom forever encouraged him to join in school activities or just “go outside for some fresh air sometimes, Jensen.” He never did, and she eventually stopped bugging him. His gran, though, every time they talked she asked him about his current project and supported him through everything. Not that his parents didn’t support him, but it wasn’t the same. He dedicated his first book to her, much to her delight.

By the time 3 o’clock Monday rolled around, Jensen felt better about the whole situation. He grabbed Brody’s leash and walked him across the street to wait for Kara’s bus. Her face broke into a bright smile when she saw them, and then she was off, chattering randomly about school and her teacher and Jensen didn’t know what else. He cut up an apple for her, smiling at her enthusiastic thank you. She watched TV for the rest of the afternoon, lying on the floor with Brody snuggled close, and Jensen went back to writing. For all his worrying, it was surprisingly easy.

The rest of the week continued like this. Kara watched TV or colored, played with Brody or finished her extra math homework. Sometimes she wandered over to stand by his chair, and he found it helped to talk over certain plot points with her. He swore her to secrecy, of course, because he wouldn’t put it past Jared to use his daughter as a spy to get information about Jensen’s upcoming book.

At the end of the first week, Jared set Kara back on her feet and told her to gather her stuff. She skipped off happily, and Jensen smiled.

“So, um,” Jared said. “What do you think about maybe finishing out the school year? I’m not having much luck finding anyone else, and Kara told me last night she’d rather come here everyday than anywhere else. I know it’s a big thing to ask, but-”

“She said that? Really?” Jensen asked, a little taken aback.

Jared grinned. “You seem surprised.”

Shrugging uncomfortably, Jensen wrinkled his nose.

“Just the dog alone is enough to put her on cloud nine, but she says you’re fun.”

Kara came back in then, attaching herself to Jared’s leg and looking up at Jensen with a shy smile. Jared ran a hand over her hair with this softly indulgent expression, and Jensen stopped over-thinking everything.

“I’d love to help you guys out, as long as you need me,” he said and got rewarded with Jared’s brilliant smile.

“Great! Thanks so much. I can pay you what I was paying Amanda.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t need anything.”

“Come on,” Jared protested. “Let me make it up to you somehow. Pizza, beer, and the game on my giant flat screen this weekend?”

He had the puppy eyes going again. That was the only reason Jensen agreed, not because he really wanted to hang out with Jared. He wrote late into the night to make up for the time he’d lose at Jared’s, but couldn’t bring himself to care too much.

Kara had gymnastics on Saturday mornings and often went to a friend’s house afterward, giving Jared some time to himself and “adult interaction,” as he put it.

“I love my daughter, but most of my patients are kids, too. It’s nice to have a conversation with someone over three feet tall and not talk about Dora or a Disney cartoon,” Jared explained, settling on his large couch with a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other.

“I promise I won’t bring up either of those. No guarantee about High School Musical, though,” Jensen answered, and Jared laughed. He blamed Kara for him even knowing what any of that was. The Disney channel got more play on his TV this week than anything else.

“You probably don’t get that, though, since you like being alone.”

Jensen flushed, resisting the urge to squirm. “My agent calls all the time, though, and my mom and sister. Gran, too, before she passed. I’m not…lonely or a hermit or anything. I just get caught up in what I’m doing. I didn’t eat or really move for two days when I was finishing my last book.” He had no idea why he felt the need to defend himself to Jared, just knew he didn’t want him to think he was a maladjusted freak or something. 

“God, I used to do that during finals. My mom threatened me with coming to my dorm and at the end of grad school, I had Kara, so I couldn’t get away with it. I’ll just have to make sure you don’t do that this time.”

Something warm and overwhelming burned in Jensen’s chest then, and he took a long swallow of his beer to cool it down.

They wasted the afternoon on ESPN and PlayStation, arguing and competing good-naturedly and talking about random things. He found himself telling Jared about Jeff, and Jared tried, unsuccessfully, to wheedle details about his book out of him. They discussed the underlying themes of isolation and redemption in his Dark Heart series, Jared showing his true fanboy colors, and Jared’s job, and how much Jared had loved college and hoped to get his PhD in linguistics someday.

It was fun, more so than he expected, and he went back the next weekend and the weekend after that. There was another BBQ, this time at Noah’s. Jensen learned that, even though he hadn’t lived there since he was in college, Jared was loyal to the Texas sports teams, and they ragged on the Browns and Cavs, riling Noah and Doug up on purpose. Jensen felt like part of a community for the first time in, well, for the first time ever, and it was good.

::

The Cleveland zoo seemed smaller than when he was a kid, but Kara declared it the “biggest zoo ever, Jensen!” with a huge, joyful smile, and he didn’t really want to argue with her. He was only here because she’d asked Jared if he could join them, and he had trouble saying no to her when she looked up at him with her big, pleading eyes. It was still a good zoo, though, and Kara’s enthusiasm was contagious.

They started in the rainforest. Kara skipped ahead, Jared and Jensen trailing behind slowly. Jensen’s shirt stuck to his back from the slight humidity in the building, and he shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably as Jared read one of the animal information plaques out loud to Kara. She had her nose about an inch away from the glass, staring avidly at the strange looking crocodile floating lazily in the water.

“There was a giant albino crocodile, I guess, here before. Really freaky,” Jared mentioned, trying to nudge Kara along so other people could get close to the glass.

“I remember that. Used to scare the fu- uh, heck out of my little sister. I think she jumped about a foot the first time she saw it,” Jensen answered. He and Josh had teased Mac for the rest of the day, even getting her a stuffed crocodile from the gift shop and making her shriek when Josh snuck up behind her with it. They got grounded to their room that night while his gran took Mac out for ice cream, but it was worth it.

“Hey, that thing was scary!” Jared shuddered dramatically, following Kara to the next display with a hand on her shoulder so she couldn’t get too far away.

Jensen smirked behind his back.

The rest of the rain forest was uneventful, until they got to the orangutans. Jared’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open, and Jensen turned, trying to figure out what Jared was staring at.

Oh. Holy shit. “Are those two…a little too cozy?” he asked. It was pretty disgusting, but also mesmerizing in a way, like not being able to look away from a gruesome car accident.

“Um, yeah. I think so.” He shook himself, then wrapped an arm around Kara, drawing her away. “Time to go, baby. That’s not something you need to know anything about yet,” he muttered in an undertone.

Jensen chuckled softly, grateful he didn’t have to explain the “birds and bees” to that little girl.

After the rain forest, they looped around the zoo, Kara squealing excitedly over every animal they saw, from the hippos to the many birds freely flying around to the chipmunk that skated quickly across the sidewalk in front of them. She posed for pictures every five minutes as well, by the many statues scattered around the park or by random plants and trees, often dragging Jared or Jensen into the pictures with her. Jared joined her happily, making silly faces and such, but Jensen always stood there awkwardly, feeling like an idiot and wondering how he got here, hanging out at the zoo with his neighbor and his daughter instead of at home alone with his laptop.

They stopped by the elephants for awhile, so Kara could watch them getting bathed and playing in the water. Elephants were her favorite, she told him, bouncing on her toes and the giddiest she’d been all day.

“That’s unusual, right? Don’t most little girls prefer something cute and cuddly, like lions and tigers?” He leaned on the fence, shivering slightly when Jared’s arm brushed against his.

“Not really.” Shrugging, Jared glanced over at Kara, smiling fondly at her rapt expression. “Gabby liked elephants, too. Used to collect statues and stuffed animals and things. I gave everything to Kara a couple years ago after she saw Dumbo for the first time and got obsessed with it.”

“Does she know? About Gabby?” he asked quietly, not wanting Kara to overhear.

“Yeah. I’m not sure she understands yet, though. I try to talk about her, make her a three-dimensional person and not just someone whose pictures she sees in a photo album, but she’s still so young. And I’m the only parent she’s ever really known.”

“Man, Jared, what you did, it’s…I don’t think I could ever do something like that.”

“I think you could. You never know what you’re capable of till you’re faced with that situation.” He smiled, bumping his shoulder against Jensen’s, and Jensen fought not to blush. 

“Were you in Texas then?”

“No, I was back up here, in my second year of grad school at Case Western, so I at least had my family around.”

“Still, you were so young, and I’m sure the classes at Case weren’t exactly a cake walk.”

“I’m not saying it was always easy. It was hard as hell sometimes. There was one time, not too long after I’d officially gotten her. I was living in this tiny apartment near campus and trying to juggle school and work and a baby, pretty much on my own. Kara had an earache, so she wasn't sleeping, which meant I wasn't sleeping either. I went over to my parents' for dinner that week, and when Mom asked me to get the butter out of the fridge, I just lost it. Broke down in tears in the middle of the kitchen with everyone just sorta gaping at me. That was my low point and when I realized I needed to take care of myself sometimes, too, or else I wasn't much good to Kara. It definitely hasn't been easy, especially that first year, but I got through it. And she's worth it, all those sleepless nights and worrying and tears, because I also get giggles and hugs and the best little girl on the planet. She’s worth it. She’ll always be worth it.”

Jensen wasn’t sure what to say to that. He wished he could go back in time and give that lost Jared a hug or something. Kara saved him by running over and climbing up Jared to wrap her arms and legs around him. It was adorable, watching the two of them together, the way they interacted. Granted, Jensen didn’t know much about raising kids, but he thought Jared was doing a pretty good job with Kara so far, especially given the harder times he’d mentioned. Jensen’s respect for him increased every time they talked.

“Daddy! I’m hungry!” she announced, playing with the zipper on his jacket.

“You are, huh? Me too.” Kara giggled and squirmed as Jared bent his head and pretended to gnaw on her neck, feet swinging and cheeks flushing red. “So, hotdogs and fries?” he asked, pulling away to grin down at her.

Kara nodded eagerly, her ponytail bouncing. “And chocolate milk,” she added, only it sounded more like “chock-it” milk, and Jensen ducked his head to hide a smile. 

Lunch revived them all enough to make it through the rest of the zoo, though Jensen’s feet hurt by the end and Jared had to carry Kara to the car. Her eyes drooped as she laid her head on his chest, the string from a bright red balloon clutched in one hand and a stuffed elephant in the other. By the time Jared put her in the backseat and kissed her forehead, she was asleep and didn’t even wake up once Jared pulled into his garage. When he picked her up to take her inside, she protested sleepily, but settled again at the brush of Jared’s hand over her back.

“So, um, I had fun today,” Jensen said, feeling stupid and kinda awkward.

Jared grinned, dimples showing. “Me too. I’m glad you came. I know you agreed just because Kara asked.”

“Nah, it was cool.”

“Great!” His grin brightened before he inclined his head toward Kara. “I should get her inside. I’ll see you Monday?”

Jensen nodded and headed home. Buoyed by Jared’s smile, he wrote the next two chapters of his book that night. 

::

Thursday night, Jensen ran over to Jared’s in a panic, impatiently shifting from foot to foot till he answered the door.

“Jensen? What’s wrong?” he asked, eyes wide with concern.

“I can’t find Brody!” he blurted. He didn’t recognize his own voice, scraped raw and hoarse from calling for the dog and worry. His heart pounded in his chest, and he couldn’t seem to breathe properly.

“What happened?”

“I can’t find Brody!” he repeated, louder this time so Jared would get the importance of those words.

“All right. Jensen, it’s okay. Just calm down and tell me what happened.” Jared gripped his bicep and pulled him inside. It steadied him a little.

“I let him out about an hour ago. The gate must not have been latched all the way or something, because when I went to check on him, the gate was open and he was gone. I was writing and didn’t even think about it being too quiet out there. I’ve spent the last 15 minutes calling him. I did a loop around the block, but I can’t find him!”

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll find him. I’m sure he didn’t go far. We’ll get him back, I promise.”

Jensen nodded numbly, sick with fear and feeling ridiculous for being so upset about a dog. Jared was taking him seriously, though, and he appreciated that. His hands slipped up to Jensen’s shoulders, squeezing gently, and he gave him a reassuring smile. That calmed him down more than anything else did.

“I’ll get Kara and drive around. You go back in case he comes home on his own. And, Jensen? Breathe. We’ll get him back.”

Jensen sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He closed his eyes, dropping his head to rest it on Jared’s shoulder. He normally wouldn’t show such vulnerability or seek comfort like this, but he loved that dumb dog. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to Brody. Jared squeezed his arm again and stepped back, turning toward the stairs.

“Kara! Come here, please!” he called, and she trudged down the stairs a minute later. “Go get your shoes and jacket on, okay?”

“Why?” she asked, gazing up at Jared with a puzzled frown on her face. She was already in her pajamas, hair still damp from her bath, and Jensen immediately hated himself for interrupting their routine for his own problem.

“We need to help Jensen look for Brody. Come on.”

“Why? He’s just out back.”

“Here?” Jared asked slowly, and Kara nodded her head. “How long has he been here, baby?”

She shrugged uncomfortably. Jensen heard Jared ask her why she didn’t tell him, but he didn’t wait around for her answer. He was in the kitchen and out the deck door a moment later. Brody lay on his side, sleeping, completely unaware of Jensen’s frantic search. He skidded to a stop on his knees next to Brody, who startled awake and looked up at him with sleepy, disinterested eyes. 

“You stupid, stupid dog!” Jensen mumbled, burying his face in the soft fur by Brody’s neck and hugging him close. Brody licked his cheek and yawned, then perked up when Jared and Kara came outside.

“Daddy says to tell you sorry,” Kara told him quietly. She scuffed her foot on the deck and glanced up at Jared. “I didn’t mean to make you mad, honest.”

Now that he had Brody back, alive and not hit by a car or something, all his anxiety melted away, leaving only relief. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m not mad.” He smiled when she looked at him hopefully, and she smiled tentatively in return. “If it happens again, though, let your daddy and me know.”

“I will,” she promised fervently.

“Go get into bed, Kara,” Jared said, not harshly, but she still jumped guiltily.

She petted Brody quickly and gave Jensen a one-armed hug, then headed back inside. Jared brushed a hand over her hair as she passed, and she smiled briefly.

“Sorry about that. I have no idea why she didn’t think to mention to me ‘Oh, yeah, Brody’s out back. Jensen might be missing him.’ You okay?” Jared sat on the opposite side of Brody on the deck and scratched his ears.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Feeling like an idiot for freaking out so much. I should’ve thought about coming here first. He does like it here. Stupid dog,” he added, laying his head on Brody’s again.

“Don’t feel like an idiot. I would’ve done the same thing. I practically roused the whole neighborhood when I was little and our dog ran away. He wandered back home a few hours later. Still have no idea where he went.”

“This is the first pet I’ve had, really, unless you count fish and gerbils. My brother is allergic.”

“So’s my mom, but she didn’t say no when Jeff and I begged her for a dog.”

Jensen imagined Jared’s mom had trouble saying no to his big, pleading eyes. God knew he had the same trouble himself often enough. “Thanks, by the way, for your help.”

“No problem. That’s what neighbors are for. Especially when it’s my yard he came to.” Jared grinned at him, his teeth bright white in the dark. He was backlit by the light in the kitchen, washing out most of his features, but Jensen could still see his dimples. Jensen hid his face against Brody so Jared wouldn’t notice his red cheeks. “I should go tuck Kara in, let her know I’m not really mad.”

“Right. Yeah. Of course. I should get this troublemaker home.” Brody punctuated that statement with a big yawn, and Jared laughed. Shaking his head, Jensen rolled his eyes and stood up. Jared walked them to the front door, and he hesitated before leaving. “Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome. Night, Jensen.”

“Night.”

Swallowing, he turned away from Jared’s soft smile and tried not to think about how good it felt to have Jared’s hands on him earlier. 

It was a losing battle. 

::

Jensen’s phone started buzzing, vibrating and skipping across the table as his alarm went off. Time to go wait for Kara’s bus. Sighing as he quickly finished that paragraph and saved his document, he couldn’t quite contain his tiny smile. He grabbed his jacket, wrestled Brody away from the door, and got across the street just as the bus came around the corner. He smiled as she climbed off, but it dimmed when she didn't smile back, just bowed her head so her messy dark hair covered her face.

“Kara? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She shrugged, glancing up at him with tears in her eyes. Jensen’s heart froze for a second, and he dropped to his knees to be closer to her level. “Kara, what happened? Are you all right?” She shrugged again, and he sighed quietly. He had no idea what to do, especially if she wouldn’t talk to him, which was worrying enough. She usually babbled at him from the second she stepped off the bus. “Let’s get you inside, okay?”

Standing back up, he took her hand, tiny and warm in his, and led her back to his house. He set her backpack and jacket by the door, then sat on the couch with her. She curled against him, burying her head in his shoulder. He learned early on that Kara was a very tactile little girl. She was always hugging him or holding his hand, clinging to his leg or crawling on his lap, but this was different, holding her trembling body as she sobbed against his chest. His heart ached for her, and he felt so helpless. All he could do was rub her back and ineffectually whisper soothing words.

Eventually she calmed down some and sat back, sniffling. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, and she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“Here,” Jensen said, reaching over to the end table for a tissue. Holding it up for her, he told her to blow and smiled slightly as her nose squeaked with the force of her blowing. He had an image of his mom doing the same to him, surprised by the sudden paternal urge he had to hold onto Kara and protect her from ever getting hurt again. Tossing the used tissue onto the end table, he brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You gonna tell me what happened? I can’t help if you won’t tell me anything, Kara.”

“Lucy, she-” Kara hiccupped, and another tear slipped down her cheek.

“Lucy? Your friend from school?”

She nodded, face crumpling. “But, but, but she said she doesn’t wanna be my friend anymore!” she sobbed.

“Oh.” He was a little relieved, honestly, that it wasn’t something worse, not that he knew what that could be. “She told you that?”

“Yeah,” she replied miserably, and Jensen kissed the top of her head.

“You know what? I bet Lucy was just having a bad day and didn’t really mean what she said. You’ll probably go to school tomorrow, and you two will be as good as ever. And even if you aren’t, you have other friends, right?” He was so out of his element here, but his fumbling attempt to make her feel better seemed to work, since she smiled tentatively at him. “It’ll be all right, sweetheart.”

Kara got up on her knees to wrap her arms around his neck. He held her close, feeling the steady thump-thump of her heart against his chest, and resisted the desire to march over to Lucy’s house and yell at her for making Kara cry.

“You gonna be okay? You want a snack or something?” Shaking her head, she sniffed again, and he handed her another tissue. “Wanna watch TV then?”

“Dora?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah. I remembered to set the DVR this time.” She smiled, giggling quietly. He was forever forgetting to record things for her, and she thankfully thought it was funny and didn’t get upset about it.

He set Dora up for her, then went back to work, stopping every once in awhile to watch her from his spot in the dining room. She still looked a little down and didn’t even react when Brody wandered in and leaned against the couch, whining up at her. Jensen stopped typing mid-sentence and saved his document, shutting his laptop and pushing his chair out.

“Hey, Kara? Your daddy likes cookies, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes, the implied “duh” obvious.

“Wanna help me make some for him?”

“Okay!” 

That finally caught her interest and got her genuinely smiling, and Jensen sighed in relief. She hopped off the couch and followed him into the kitchen. He carried a chair from the dining room over to the counter for her to stand on, then gathered the ingredients he needed for chocolate chip cookies. It wasn’t something he did often, but baking helped him relax and decompress sometimes. Standing next to Kara as she carefully poured sugar into the mixing bowl, a towel tied around her neck for an apron, Jensen remembered all the mornings and afternoons he did this with his gran, fighting with Josh and Mac about who got to lick the beaters. His gran would probably love that he was continuing the tradition with Kara.

By the time Jared showed up, half an hour late for the second time this week, the cookies were cooling on a plate, Kara was giggling and playing tug-of-war with Brody and an old sock, and Jensen was just grateful she’d stopped moping.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late again. It’s been a crazy week,” Jared apologized as soon as Jensen opened the door. He had his tie loosened and the top two buttons of his dress shirt undone. Jensen swallowed thickly and looked away.

“No problem,” he replied, stepping aside to let Jared in.

“Daddy!” Kara yelled and scrambled off the floor, launching herself at Jared.

He caught her with a small oof as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. “Hi, baby.” Tickling her ribs, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Guess what, Daddy! Me and Jensen made you a surprise!”

“You did, huh? Well, what is it?”

“Come on! I’ll show you!”

Jensen chuckled to himself as Kara grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him into the kitchen. Jared dutifully closed his eyes when she requested, then grinned when she shoved the plate at him.

“Cookies? For me?”

“Yep! Me and Jensen made them! He let me crack the eggs and put in the sugar and flour and stir in the chocolate chips!”

“Wow. Good for you.”

“Try one!”

Taking the cookie off the top, he bit into it with a soft sigh of pleasure. “These are really good, baby. You did a great job. Thanks.”

Kara beamed up at her dad, and Jensen felt his heart constrict with happiness, knowing he helped put that smile on her face. Thinking of Kara’s earlier mood, Jensen caught Jared’s eye and cleared his throat. Jared raised an eyebrow at him and took the plate from Kara.

“Can you go get your stuff ready for me, Kara? I need to talk to Jensen for a minute.” She nodded and skipped out of the kitchen. “What’s up?” he asked once Kara left.

He explained what happened before, watching as Jared’s face changed from smiling to dark with anger. “I think I calmed her down and everything, but you might want to talk to her yourself.” Since I probably didn’t do a very good job of it.

“Thank you.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and back through his hair. “This is why I hate my job sometimes. I should be here for her when things like this happen.”

“I know it sucks, but you have to work, Jared. And she’s okay. Kids are pretty resilient. I mean, you saw her. She’s all smiles again.”

“Yeah, I know. Thank you again, though. I’m glad you volunteered to watch her.”

Surprisingly, so was he. “No problem,” he said, really meaning it.

Kara came back in then, jacket on and backpack dragging on the floor behind her. Jensen put plastic wrap over the cookies, then walked them to the door. Before they left, Kara tugged on the bottom of his shirt until he knelt in front of her. She snuggled in close, and he hugged her back.

“Night, Jensen!” she exclaimed.

“Night, sweetheart,” he answered, kissing the top of her head.

“I’ll more than likely be late again tomorrow,” Jared said as he headed out.

“Don’t worry about it, Jared. We’ll be okay here.”

“I know you will.”

Jared’s confidence in him made his stomach flutter. That was happening more and more as the days went on. He tried not to think about it, though, as he waved goodbye to Jared and Kara and went back inside to find something for dinner. 

::

“Daddy!”

“Hey, baby,” Jared answered, sounding tired. Instead of picking Kara up, he dropped to his knees to gather her into a hug. He closed his eyes and swayed a little. “Can you go get your stuff, please? I wanna get going.”

“Okay!” Kara skipped off into the living room, and Jared slowly climbed to his feet.

“You look beat, man,” Jensen mentioned.

“It’s been a really long week. The patient load has been crazy for some reason.” He grimaced, stifling a yawn behind his fist. “Sorry.”

“Why don’t you stay? For dinner?” He wasn’t sure why he said it, really, except Jared looked completely worn out. Jensen had this overwhelming urge to take care of him.

“Thanks, but-”

“You’re practically asleep on your feet, Jared. I was just gonna bake some chicken anyway. It’s not a big deal to throw in a couple extra pieces for you and Kara.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Go sit. I’ll let Kara know. You just relax while I cook.”

“Thanks.” Jared flashed him an exhausted smile and walked over to sink down on the couch with a sigh.

Kara whooped excitedly when he told her about the change in plans. She followed him into the kitchen, babbling nonstop about everything from school to her grandparents to her favorite stuffed animal. Jensen smiled, listening to her quietly as he moved around, preparing the chicken and fixing a salad. She climbed up onto a stool by the island and snuck pieces of carrot as he chopped the vegetables, and he playfully batted her hands away.

When everything was ready, Jensen went back out to get Jared and found him asleep on the couch. He’d taken his jacket off and rolled up the sleeves of his navy dress shirt. His tie was loosened and collar unbuttoned. He’d turned his head into the back of the couch, mouth parted slightly, breathing deep and even. He looked younger, more innocent, the worry lines around his mouth and eyes smoothed out. And impossibly more gorgeous this way, relaxed and open. Jensen’s stomach clenched, and he felt heat suffuse his cheeks. He tamped down on his ridiculous arousal and reached out to grip Jared’s shoulder. He hated to wake him up, but figured he’d rather eat and not mess up his sleep for later.

“Jared? Wake up, Jared. Come on.” He squeezed his shoulder, smiling a little when Jared blinked confusedly up at him. “Food’s ready. Come eat.”

“Right. Thanks.” Yawning, Jared sat up, and Jensen totally didn’t watch how his shirt pulled across his chest as he stretched his arms over his head. “Uh, bathroom?”

“Upstairs, first door on the left.”

Kara helped Jensen set the table. He didn’t remember being so eager to help out when he was her age. Maybe she was simply an odd child, but he thought it probably had more to do with the way Jared was raising her. They kept the dinner conversation light. Jared seemed stressed enough without bringing up anything heavier than Kara’s new gymnastics outfit, which she apparently never wanted to take off.

“I had Superman pajamas when I was about four or five that I wore for a week straight until Mom literally stripped them off me. I cried the whole time they were in the washer,” Jared said, fork in hand and wistful expression on his face. His nap revived him somewhat, but dark circles still smudged his eyes, and he yawned more than once.

Jensen snorted. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” 

“Oh, shut up. They were awesome. You’re just jealous.”

“Whatever, dude. I had Spiderman. He’s much cooler anyway.”

Jared gave him an incredulous look. “Cooler than Superman? Are you nuts?”

They argued about superheroes for the rest of the meal, then argued about who got to do the dishes.

“Jensen, you’ve been watching Kara for almost two months, for free, and you just fed us a really amazing meal. I’m not letting you clean up, too. Sit down or I’ll sic Kara on you, and she’s pretty relentless when it comes to tickling.”

Jensen glanced at Kara, who beamed at him, wiggling her finger in his direction. Huffing, he threw his arms up in defeat. “All right, all right. You win. I definitely don’t want to get tickled.” They both grinned at him, and Jensen’s heart skipped a beat.

“Awesome,” Jared said as he backed into the kitchen with his arms full of dirty dishes.

“Your daddy’s annoying,” he told Kara in a stage whisper, and she giggled.

They left Jared to the cleaning. Jensen opened his laptop, hunching over it so Jared couldn’t see anything, but gave it up when Kara crawled into the chair next to him with her crayons and coloring book. Shrugging mentally, he pushed the computer to the side and picked up a crayon.

“Jensen!” Kara exclaimed after a few minutes.

“What?” he asked, looking up from his half-done picture of a leprechaun.

“You can’t color his pants red! It’s supposed to be green!”

“It’s okay to color outside the lines. Um, I mean, to color things a different way than usual,” he amended quickly, since he knew Jared had been working with her to actually color in the lines. “You can do whatever you want, even make the sky purple or somebody’s nose bright blue.” He tapped her nose, and she practically went cross-eyed trying to follow his finger. She dropped her brown crayon, though, and started coloring the tree trunk orange. He heard a noise behind him and turned to see Jared in the doorway, watching them with an odd look on his face. “What?” Jensen squirmed uncomfortably, like he’d just gotten caught doing something he shouldn’t.

“Nothing.” Jared smiled softly and went back into the kitchen.

Shrugging, Jensen continued coloring. Kara lasted a little while longer before getting sleepy and moving into the living room to watch something on Disney. It seemed weird to color without her there, so he decided to help Jared finish the dishes.

“You know, I do have a dishwasher. You didn’t have to do all this by hand.” He grabbed a dry towel and leaned against the counter by the sink.

“It’s okay. I like doing it by hand.” He paused a few moments before continuing tentatively, “Can I tell you something without you getting mad at me?”

“Um, sure.”

Jared hesitated, scratching his nose on his shoulder and needlessly scrubbing a plate harder. “I’m surprised how good you are with her. You don’t seem like you’d enjoy giving up your afternoons to hang out with a five-year-old. I thought you were crazy when you first suggested it, but you’re really are good with her.”

“Thanks?” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He questioned his own sanity at the beginning, but he looked forward to 3 o’clock everyday now. He’d miss her in a couple weeks when school ended. “Hey,” he blurted, something occurring to him suddenly. “What are you gonna do with Kara during the summer?”

“Mom’ll watch her for me. She’s a teacher, so she has the summers off.”

“Oh.”

“You sound disappointed.” Jared smirked at Jensen’s not-so-casual shrug. “I promise I’ll still send her over for play dates, Jensen.”

“Ha, ha.” That actually made him feel better, though. He really would miss seeing her everyday. He wondered how his life had changed so much in the past couple months. He never expected to spend his Friday night with a neighbor and his daughter. And have so much fun doing it.

They finished quickly after that, mostly because Jared yawned every two seconds, interrupting whatever he was saying. Kara had fallen asleep, snuggled up with Brody on the couch. It was so cute, Jensen ignored the fact that Brody wasn’t allowed on the furniture. She stirred groggily when Jared picked her up, but relaxed limply against his chest. Jensen held the door open for them, blocking Brody with his knee. Jared paused before taking a couple steps back toward Jensen.

“Thanks, for tonight and, you know, everything,” he said quietly and leaned down to lightly brush his lips over Jensen’s. 

It was brief, over quickly, and not even a real kiss. Jared was most of the way across the street before Jensen recovered enough to react and even then he could only gape stupidly and touch his tingling lips with a shaking finger.

::

Jensen didn’t see Jared all weekend. Not because he was avoiding him, but because he spent the whole time writing feverishly. Thank God for Brody needing to be let outside and fed, or else Jensen probably wouldn’t have taken any breaks for those two days. He slept maybe four hours each night and skipped showering and shaving. It was always difficult for him to stop writing when he got on a roll like that. He lost track of everything until he surfaced out of the haze and realized it was late Sunday night. Or early Monday morning, depending on how you looked at it. Stumbling into the kitchen, he opened the backdoor for a whining Brody and scarfed down some toast and orange juice while he was outside. He hurried through a shower and crashed on his bed until his phone buzzing startled him awake. It took him a few moments to figure out what was going on, then he hastily threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and went to wait for Kara’s bus.

She greeted him with a big smile and a hug, chattering nonstop about her upcoming end-of-school program and field trip to the fire station. Listening to her talking excitedly, Jensen started feeling a little more human and less like the zombie he was a few hours ago. He really needed to stop doing that. His body couldn’t bounce back from it like he could when he was younger, when he could pull an all-nighter, sleep for two hours, and wake up refreshed and ready to do it all over again. He hated to admit it, but this was why Jeff worried about him.

It was a nice day, so Kara took her coloring book and crayons outside to the picnic table, Brody settling at her feet, hoping she’d drop some food. He’d gotten better about begging, but he seemed to still follow Kara around when she ate. Kara was oblivious to it all, swinging her legs to a rhythm only she could hear, lip caught between her teeth as she carefully colored the picture of the butterfly.

Once she was set, Jensen went back to the dining room and opened his laptop. After he lost around 5000 words of his third book, he always backed everything up, on a disk back then and now a flash drive, no matter how tired or out of it he was, but he still breathed easier when he checked and found everything saved correctly. He spent most of the afternoon looking over what he’d written, making sure it wasn’t gibberish and fit into his book. He’d left a few things blank until he could verify facts from previous books, so he flipped through his notes to find what he needed. He checked on Kara a few times as well. She was busy coloring and trying to teach Brody how to sit. Good luck with that, kid, he thought with a smile. 

Around 5, he noticed his blurry reflection in the stainless steel of the fridge door, and his stomach dropped. He looked like he’d been on a bender for a week, scruffy, pale, dark circles obvious under his eyes. He wondered why the bus driver had let him walk away with Kara and didn’t accuse him of being a bum kidnapping her. He hadn’t thought about the almost-kiss since Friday night, after Jared walked away and left Jensen too stunned to say or do anything. But he thought about it now, about what it could mean, what he wanted it to mean and how he was supposed to act around Jared. No matter what, though, he couldn’t let Jared see him like this, like death warmed over and turned inside out. So he shaved and put on a clean shirt and prayed he looked presentable enough.

He jumped about a foot in the air when Jared knocked on the door and hesitated before leaving the bathroom and going downstairs. He smoothed a hand over his hair, then down his chest, sucked in a deep breath, and walked to the door. Jared gave him a shy smile and ducked his head, standing in the middle of the room looking adorably flustered. It made Jensen feel better. Slightly.

“Where’s Kara?” he asked, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets.

“Out back with Brody,” Jensen told him, impressed by how even his voice sounded.

“So, um, about the other night,” Jared said, then stopped. He was blushing, a deep pink high on his cheeks and creeping down his neck.

Jensen wanted him to finish, but he didn’t know how he wanted Jared to finish or what his own response would be. He couldn’t exactly deny anymore that he was attracted to Jared or that he wanted to kiss him again, a proper kiss this time, where they both got into it and Jensen didn’t just stand there like an idiot. But relationships were messy and complicated and never anything he was good at, and he liked having Jared as a friend. He knew he definitely didn’t want to mess that up.

“Do you wanna go out sometime? On a date?” Jared blurted suddenly, jolting Jensen out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he answered while his brain was still processing the question. He never used to have that problem.

Jared smiled at him, visibly relaxing, and took a few steps closer. “Oh, awesome. I didn’t think I was reading the situation wrong, but, um, you’re so quiet and I wasn’t sure if I was projecting my own feelings onto you and I hoped maybe you might possibly like me and then I completely lost my head and kissed you and ran away before you could freak out or kiss me back or anything and-” He paused, sighing softly and shaking his head. “Pretend I didn’t just say any of that, okay?”

“All right,” Jensen agreed, smiling. He loved it when Jared rambled. It was adorable, and he liked being able to freely admit that to himself now.

“So, Saturday? We can go to dinner or something. I don’t know.”

“Sure, that sounds good.”

“Okay then.” Jared grinned at him, teeth brilliantly white and dimples showing, and Jensen couldn’t help grinning back.

They were still standing there smiling stupidly at each other when Kara skipped into the room with Brody trailing behind obediently. Jared shook himself and swung Kara into his arms, and she giggled as he tickled her ribs.

“Dad-dy!” she protested. “Put me down! I have something to show you! I taught Brody a trick!” she announced proudly when she regained her feet. She patted Brody’s side, stared him down for a minute with a serious expression on her face, then told him to sit. And much to Jensen’s surprise, the dog immediately sat, looking up at Kara expectantly until she bent down and hugged him. “See! Isn’t he a good boy?”

“Yes, very good. Wow. How’d you get him to do that, sweetheart?” Jensen asked, scratching Brody’s ears.

Kara shrugged. “It wasn’t that hard.”

“Right.” He didn’t exactly appreciate a five-year-old doing something he couldn’t. Or Jared laughing at him. But Kara was so pleased with herself that he let it go for now. “That’s really good, Kara.” Her smile widened, and Jensen couldn’t help but marvel at how this day ended up. He started it off feeling disoriented from his weekend of writing and no sleep, and now he had a date with Jared. 

Oh, crap. He had a date with Jared.

::

Jensen had difficulty concentrating on anything that week and barely got any writing done, too busy freaking out and imagining all the horrible ways it could go wrong. On Friday morning, he finally broke down and called Jeff.

Jeff picked up on the third ring, warmth and amusement in his voice. “Hey, kid. What’s up?”

“I need help,” Jensen answered quickly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

“Which of your characters is being a bastard now?”

“Not that. The book’s going well, actually,” he admitted. He stopped pacing and flopped heavily on the couch. “I, um, I have a date.”

“Excuse me?”

Jensen sighed. He expected Jeff’s skepticism, of course, but it didn’t ease his state of mind very much. “I have a date,” he repeated petulantly.

“With a real person?”

“No, with a mandroid. Yes, with a real person, you asshole! And stop laughing at me. I need help!”

“Sorry,” Jeff apologized, but a couple chuckles still escaped. “What’s the problem? I know it’s been awhile, but it’s like riding a bike. It’ll come back to you.”

His last boyfriend was six years ago, and he’d only had a couple random hookups since then. He was horrible at first dates, acting too much like a spaz or letting his nerves get to him and backing out at the last second. But Jared was different. There were different things to consider, like Kara, and he wanted everything to go smoothly.

“I don’t know what to do or what to wear, and Christ, Jeff, I’m nervous as hell.”

“Take a deep breath and calm down, Jensen. It’s a date, not the firing squad.”

“I know.” Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “But I still don’t know what to do.”

“So tell me about it. Are you planning the date? What’s this guy like?”

“No, Jared’s planning the whole thing.” And being obnoxiously macho and annoying about it. Jensen couldn’t help smiling about it, though. “He hasn’t told me anything beyond ‘dress casual.’”

“Well, at least you know it’s not black tie then.”

Jensen snorted. Brody sat by the couch, leaning against Jensen’s legs and nudging his hand, and Jensen obligingly scratched behind his ears.

“Let’s forget about the clothes for now, because it doesn’t really matter. Tell me about this guy instead. How’d you meet? What’s he like? And why am I just hearing about it now?”

“He’s my neighbor. I met him a few days after I moved in, and he’s…he’s amazing. And he has this amazing little girl.”

“A kid?”

“Yeah. Kara. She’s five and a great kid, and even though I can be moody and I know nothing about dealing with kids, especially little girls, and I can get caught up in my writing and I’m not exactly the most social guy ever, they both really like me.”

There were a few moments of silence, then Jeff blurted, “Okay, who the hell are you and what have you done with Jensen? What happened to my cranky author who freaked out when he had to spend time with his nephews? Or talk to anyone in the office besides me?”

Jensen smiled grimly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “He’s still here, trust me, hence the meltdown about what to wear and do on my date.”

“Honestly, kid, I don’t think you need to worry about it. You’ve known this guy for awhile, right? He’s presumably seen how you normally dress and still wants to go on a date with you. He likes you, so just calm down and go with it. Enjoy yourself. Maybe get laid.”

Coughing, Jensen blushed furiously. “Can you never say that to me again, please? I really don’t want you thinking about my sex life.” 

“No problem,” Jeff promised between what sounded suspiciously like giggles. “Seriously, Jensen, don’t worry so much. I have faith you’ll be just fine.”

He blew out a breath and sat back again, rolling his head along the back of the couch. “Thanks.”

“Okay, now that I’ve talked you down off the wall and so I can pass this call off as actual work, tell me how the book’s going. Are you gonna make the new deadline?” he asked over Jensen’s snort of amusement.

“I think so. I hope so anyway, as long as they don’t come back and tell me they want it next week. It’s going surprisingly well. I just…really needed to get out of New York and get everything straight in my head again. And it’s actually working really well.”

“I’m happy for you, kid, really happy and proud of you.”

Jensen blushed again. That was downright sappy for Jeff, and he wasn’t used to it. He’d never been very good at hearing compliments or praise. It was one of the reasons he avoided his fans. He always felt awkward and out of place, never knew what to say in return, so he usually muttered “thanks” and fled as soon as possible. Not many people knew who J Ross really was, but he inevitably got pressured into attending functions for his publishers, and he couldn’t hide in the bathroom or in dark corners forever. It helped to have Jeff there, but he still didn’t like it.

They talked about his book for awhile longer, tossing around ideas for a title and discussing when Jensen thought he might be done. Jeff told him about his new kickass intern he hoped would stick around after her time was up in a month. When Jensen snapped his phone shut, he felt a lot calmer and ready for his date the next night. He still didn’t get much sleep or writing done before Saturday night, though.

::

Jared was driving, but Jensen refused to feel like the girl in this whole thing, so he walked across the street to Jared’s house instead of waiting for Jared to pick him up. A woman with Jared’s smile opened the door, and Jensen assumed it was his mom.

“Hi! You must be Jensen. I’m Sharon.” She shook his hand, smiling. She had a warm, easy smile, and it calmed the kittens dancing in Jensen’s stomach. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Really?” he asked.

“They both talk about you all the time.”

Her smile widened at his undoubtedly startled expression. He wondered how long Jared had wanted to ask him out. He’d been pretty oblivious to it until that almost-kiss. Jared came down the stairs then, face lighting up when he saw Jensen, and the kittens started their dance again.

“Hey! Just let me say goodbye to Kara and we can head out.”

“Sure.”

“Kara! I’m leaving!” he yelled, and a minute later, she thumped down the stairs, looking sullen.

“I wanna come with you,” she said, sulking slightly. Jared doing something without her just wasn’t something she understood.

Jared sighed quietly and picked her up. “I know, baby, but tonight is just for me and Jensen. Maybe next time, okay?” he told her gently. She pouted but nodded, laying her head against his shoulder. Jensen knew Jared hadn’t dated much the last couple years, and Kara was too young to quite grasp the concept. Jared ran a hand through her messy dark hair, and Kara continued to pout. “You be good for Grandma, okay?” He kissed her forehead and set her back on her feet, and she went over to stand next to Sharon.

They all exchanged goodbyes, and Jared led him through to the garage. Jensen had a hand on the car’s door handle, watching as Jared moved around to the driver’s side. “You know, she could’ve come with us. I don’t mind,” he stated, and the next thing he knew, Jared had him pressed back against the car and he had a mouthful of Jared tongue. This was so different from the almost casual brush of lips from before. This was a kiss, soft and insistent, slick and warm and deep, and everything he imagined it would be to feel Jared’s mouth against his. Jared cupped his face, thumb brushing the underside of his jaw, and Jensen wrapped a hand around the back of his neck to pull him closer. The ends of his hair tickled the back of his hand, soft and silky.

Jared looked slightly dazed when he pulled away, his hazel eyes gone an amazing shade of dark, golden brown. “Thanks. But I want you all to myself tonight,” he murmured with a gorgeous half-smile. Jensen could only nod and smile stupidly. Jared leaned in for another kiss that ended too soon, then stepped away to get in the car. Jensen collapsed in the seat gratefully, since his knees were a little weak.

“You look great, by the way,” Jared said as they left their cul-de-sac.

Jensen glanced down at the dark jeans and black t-shirt he’d finally settled on and shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably. “So do you,” he answered after a pause. He was used to seeing Jared after work in his dress pants and a button up or on the weekends in sloppy track pants or something, so it was a bit of a shock to see him in nice casual clothes. A very pleasant shock, though.

Jared flashed him a heated look and ran a finger along the outside seam of Jensen’s jeans. It was totally acceptable to spend the first date pulled over on the side of the road and making out in the car, right? Jensen tamped down on his arousal and didn’t assault Jared while he was driving. He was impressed with his self-restraint.

They went to a glow-in-the-dark mini golf place. Jensen had no idea there was such a thing. They took advantage of the darkness to stand too close and to tease with light touches, distracting each other with a hand brushing over a hip or resting at the small of the back. Needless to say, they were both crap at glow-in-the-dark mini golf. It hardly mattered, though, since they spent most of the first 10 or so holes giggling like a couple of teenage girls. Jared switched tactics toward the end, using random insults to try to get Jensen to miss the hole or otherwise mess up.

“Your mama wears combat boots,” Jared taunted just as Jensen lined up his shot.

“Really? That’s the best you can do? Did Kara teach you that one?” Jensen shot back. Jared’s teeth shone eerily white in the low lighting when he grinned. Jensen ignored him and looked back down at his glowing neon green ball.

Suddenly, Jared was standing right behind him, all body heat and warm breath ghosting over his skin as he murmured into his ear, “You have a really great ass.”

Jensen’s ball didn’t even come close to the hole.

Later, when Jared bent to retrieve his own ball, Jensen took a few moments to admire the view. “You have a great ass, too,” he admitted, trying for bored nonchalance, but Jared grinned at him, obviously not buying it. The light kiss Jared pressed to the corner of his mouth kinda proved it.

Jensen ended up winning, though not by much, and Jared seemed to stop caring when Jensen pinned him to the wall outside the building and kissed his pout away. Jared’s mouth was goddamned addictive. Not that either of them were exactly complaining.

Jared took him to a small Chinese restaurant after that. Only a handful of tables sat around a water feature with a goldfish spitting a stream of water. The lighting was low, mostly from candles on the table and a few lanterns, and the atmosphere was cozy and intimate. It was definitely a place where you brought a date, and that inexplicably made Jensen nervous once more. He’d been fine earlier, and he’d be fine again. They ordered some dishes to share and the conversation drifted to Jared’s job.

“I thought about going pre-med when I started college or engineering and finally settled on English at the last minute,” he explained, leaning forward on the table to rest his head on one hand. “And that was good for the first year, but then I took this history of the English language class and totally fell in love with linguistics. It’s still probably my favorite class. I was the only sophomore with a bunch of senior education majors. All morons, by the way,” he added with a grimace. “Anyway. I loved my professor, though. She was crazy and kind of a hippy, and she made it so much fun. I’d always been fascinated by words- accents and the history of words and who says what word where and all that. It was Dr. Lawrence that suggested speech therapy to me. We still email sometimes. And I’m sure you don’t care about any of this stupidly long ramble, since your original question was ‘how’s work been going?’”

“No, I don’t mind at all. It’s cool,” he assured Jared quickly. What he wanted to say was more along the lines of tell me everything about you, but that sounded lame and pathetic. “I like learning things about you,” he said quietly instead.

“Me, too. I mean, how did you get into writing?”

“It was something I always did, just for fun, until my gran convinced me to submit a short story to this magazine contest. I won, and an agent contacted me about expanding it into a book. I was young, barely 21, hating college and the thought of getting a job when I graduated, so I took the contract they offered me and ran. Haven’t looked back since.”

“Well, I’m glad. Your books are the best I’ve ever read.”

Jensen blushed, thankful Jared wouldn’t notice in the dim lighting.

The rest of the meal passed by just as pleasantly, and somewhere between Jared accidentally flinging a piece of chicken off his chopsticks and the third refill on their drinks, Jensen realized he wasn’t nervous anymore. He relaxed back in his chair and smiled.

They stayed at the restaurant late, but eventually Jared couldn’t hide his yawning anymore. They decided to call it a night and drove back home. Jared parked in the driveway so the garage door wouldn’t wake Kara, and Jensen walked with him to the porch. They wasted a minute staring awkwardly at each other, then moved simultaneously into a kiss. It was just like all the others during the night but with a hint of hunger in it. Jared had just tugged him forward to line their hips up when the porch light flickered on and off.

“Mo-om!” Jared yelled, one hand still cupping Jensen’s neck and the other bunching up his shirt to caress the skin on his hip.

“Sorry! Couldn’t resist!” she yelled back, laughing.

Jensen barely held back his own laughter. Sighing dramatically, Jared scowled. Jensen brushed a thumb across Jared’s bottom lip and smiled, waiting until Jared smiled back.

“I should probably go anyway,” Jared said, making no move to pull away.

“Yeah.” Jensen didn’t move either.

“Come over tomorrow? I’ll grill steaks. Or hotdogs. Something.”

“Sure. I’ll bring Brody.”

“Great.”

“Go inside, Jared.”

“Right.” He snuck in one more kiss, then stepped back, grinning. “Night, Jensen.”

“Goodnight.” 

::

Jensen arched against Jared, moaning as Jared slipped a thigh between his and sucked on his earlobe. 10 minutes ago, they’d been innocently watching TV, but Jensen wasn’t exactly complaining about this turn of events, spread out on the couch with Jared above him. Sliding a hand under Jared’s shirt to touch the warm skin of his broad back, Jensen tilted his head to give Jared more room. Jared hummed against his throat, a deep thrum that echoed through his chest, and kissed a path across his jaw to lick into his mouth.

“Jesus, you have the most gorgeous mouth ever,” Jared growled, grinding his hips down, hard.

Jensen swore, rocking up to meet Jared’s thrusts, needing more friction.

Jared kissed him again, hungry and wet, and Jensen opened his mouth wider, tangling his hands in Jared’s messy curls. Their movements became faster, their breathing more erratic, and Jensen splayed his hand across the small of Jared’s back, pressing him closer.

“Jared, I’m gonna, I’m-” he stammered, never mind that they were making out on the couch like a couple of horny teenagers and it’d been forever since he did something like this.

“Yeah,” Jared grunted, pulling away to rest their foreheads together. “Shit, Jen, I-”

“Daddy?”

They both froze at Kara’s quiet and hesitant voice. This was the first time Jensen wished she’d just go away, then immediately felt horrible for thinking that. It went a long way in calming down his still-racing heart and throbbing dick.

“Yeah, baby?” Jared answered, sounding strained. He took a deep breath, mouthing sorry at Jensen, and sat up as Kara slowly came around the couch. “What are you doing up?” 

Jensen scrambled up, adjusting his clothes and smiling at Kara when she glanced at him.

“I had a bad dream,” she said, her lower lip sticking out and trembling slightly. She looked especially tiny and young in her pink Disney Princesses pajamas, with her hair in disarray and eyes puffy from sleep. If nothing else, that killed Jensen’s hard-on. 

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry. You wanna talk about it?” She shook her head, and Jared rubbed her back, settling her against his chest. “You want me to stay with you until you fall asleep again?”

“Please?” she whispered.

“All right, baby. Go get in bed, and I’ll be there in a minute.”

Kara heaved a sigh and burrowed into Jared for a moment before trudging out of the room.

“Sorry,” Jared muttered, standing up.

“Don’t worry about it. Just go,” Jensen replied.

Nodding, Jared bent over to kiss him lightly, then headed after Kara. After a minute, Jensen followed him, stopping in the hallway outside her door. Jared lay on Kara’s tiny bed, feet on the floor and butt hanging over the edge of the mattress, with Kara curled around his side and her head on his shoulder. He was telling her a story about Princess Kara and her quest for the perfect doll, voice hushed, deep and soothing. Jensen wanted to crawl in with them, hold them close and make sure Kara only had sweet dreams from now on. But he also wanted to kiss the hell out of Jared. He did neither, just continued to stand in the doorway, watching and listening. After awhile, Kara no longer responded to Jared’s story, so he carefully extracted himself. Kissing Kara’s forehead, he fixed her covers and backed out of the room, closing her door quietly.

“Hey,” he said, spotting Jensen.

“Hey.” Smiling, he leaned against the wall opposite Kara’s room.

“Sorry about that. She doesn’t get nightmares often, but they freak her out when she does.”

“It’s okay. Poor thing. Is she all right?”

“Yeah, she’s good.”

Jensen pulled Jared closer by the hem of his shirt, hands sliding around to rest on his hips. He nuzzled his jaw, nipping gently at his chin. “You’re a good dad,” he murmured and felt Jared’s grin along his cheekbone.

“I try.” Jared ran a palm up Jensen’s neck, raising goose bumps along his skin, and tilted his head down to kiss him, slow and deep, completely unlike the heated kisses from earlier.

“Is she asleep?” he asked. He hoped it didn’t make him an asshole, wanting to pick up where Kara had interrupted. Jared was hardening against his hip, though, so he figured it was okay.

“Yeah. She should be down for the rest of the night now.” Jared cupped his cheek, swiping a thumb across his bottom lip and tugging on it before lowering his head and sucking it into his mouth.

Jensen whimpered, going from slightly interested to rock hard with one wet slide of Jared’s tongue. “Ya know, we shouldn’t have been on the couch anyway, not when you have a big bed we can do it on,” he mused, and Jared laughed.

“You’re right. Come on.”

They stumbled down the hall to Jared’s room, Jared kicking the door shut once they got inside, and fell onto the bed. Jensen wasted no time straddling Jared’s lap on the bed, and Jared quickly started undoing Jensen’s jeans and shoving everything out of his way. Jensen gripped Jared’s shoulders tightly as Jared bent in half and licked across the head of his dick. There were a lot of things he liked about Jared, but one of his favorite things was how surprisingly flexible he was. Jensen bucked his hips, moaning Jared’s name, and Jared swallowed him deeper, working him with one fist and deliberate flicks of his tongue. Jensen didn’t last long. He came with a shout and slumped over Jared, panting harshly into his neck.

“Goddamn,” he mumbled incoherently, feeling the rumble of Jared’s laughter against his cheek.

When he regained enough higher brain functions, he crawled down the bed and tortured Jared by slowly unbuttoning his pants and reaching inside his boxer briefs. Jared rolled his hips and growled impatiently, but Jensen maintained his unhurried pace. Finally, he grinned and closed his lips around Jared’s dick. He didn’t last any longer than Jensen had, which Jensen appreciated. Jared hauled him up by his collar and kissed him, and while he’d usually find the combined taste of their come disgusting, he simply framed Jared’s face and kissed him back. 

They fell asleep like that, pants half off and shirts rucked up, lips swollen and red, Jared draped around him. When Jensen woke up a couple hours later, they hadn’t moved. He scooted out of bed, zipping his pants with one hand and trying to straighten his flattened hair with the other.

“Jared, I’m gonna head home,” he told him, smoothing a hand over Jared’s cheek.

“Mmph mmmhmm,” Jared answered, rolling over to snuggle into his pillow.

Smiling, Jensen kissed the corner of his mouth and left quietly. He slept like the dead once he got home.

::

Jared’s family had an annual blowout every July 4 at a nearby park in Lakewood. Jensen was jittery with nerves about it, since he’d not only be meeting Jared’s dad but his brother and sister, both sets of grandparents, and every aunt, uncle, and cousin he had. Which was apparently a lot. Jared kept telling him not to worry, but he wasn’t the one that had to make a good impression on his boyfriend’s family.

When they showed up, Brody and a cooler full of drinks in tow, the party was already in full swing. They spread out over two shelters and three grills, the sound of laughter and chatter loud in Jensen’s ears. Kara waved frantically at a group of kids about her age and ran off to join them after a questioning look up at Jared.

“Make sure you eat something!” Jared called after her, and Kara waved dismissively over her shoulder, too busy hugging everyone and squealing with her cousins. Rolling his eyes, Jared lifted his end of the cooler. “Help me find a spot to dump this, then I’ll introduce you to Dad and Megan. It doesn’t look like Jeff’s here yet.”

“Great.” He hoped he sounded excited and not like he wanted to throw up. Based on the indulgently sympathetic smile Jared shot him, he guessed it was more the latter.

They set the cooler on a bare spot by the foot of a picnic table and hooked Brody to a convenient stake. Dogs could go off-leash here, but Jensen didn’t trust Brody not to go tearing off after a squirrel or get into the food sitting out. Jared let him grab a Coke, then dragged him over to where Sharon stood talking to a small group. Sharon smiled at him and hugged him, which eased the tension a little, but Jensen still felt awkward and uncomfortable, as if he wore a sign that said, “Hey, I suck your son’s dick!” Or brother or cousin or whatever fit. Gerry greeted him warmly, though, shaking his hand firmly and asking him mundane things like how he was enjoying Ohio so far and how it compared to New York.

“God, Daddy, this isn’t a job interview. Leave the poor guy alone. Hi, I’m Megan, since my dork brother hasn’t bothered to tell you that yet,” Jared’s sister interrupted, holding out her hand and rolling her eyes when Jared swatted at the back of her head.

“Jensen. Hi,” he said, startled and a little bemused. She looked a lot like a grown up version of Kara, and glancing around, Jensen could definitely pick the Padaleckis out of the crowd, as opposed to his mom’s lighter haired side of the family.

“Be nice, Meggy,” Jared warned, and she simply gazed innocently at him.

“Has Jared ever told you about the time I put a frog in his bed and he screamed like a little girl?” Megan asked, then ducked as Jared attempted to put her in a headlock.

“Shut up, brat!” Jared yelled. Megan danced away, laughing, and Jared blushed bright red. “I didn’t scream,” he muttered, pouting.

“I believe you, Jared,” Jensen promised and because Jared was too adorable with his frowny face and Jensen felt surprisingly safe doing this with half of Jared’s relatives watching, he tilted Jared’s face down for a light kiss. Jared grinned at him when he pulled away, all dimples and brilliantly white teeth.

“Come on, let’s go get some food,” he suggested, stroking a thumb under Jensen’s jaw before turning toward the nearest grill.

After that, it was a blur of too much good food and meeting all Jared’s relatives. All the faces and names passed by him too quickly for him to remember them all, and he often found himself in the middle of a conversation with no idea who he was talking to. Everyone was nice, however, and very welcoming and didn’t seem to care when they had to remind him of their names.

He left Jared at the table amid a handful of admiring little cousins and got in line for another hamburger. The guy at the grill glanced back at him casually, then turned around, frowning slightly. Brandishing a deadly looking pair of tongs, he crossed his arms and stared Jensen down till he squirmed and took a step back.

“Um, hi?” he ventured hesitantly. “You must be Jeff?” He hated to seem so timid, but Jeff was even taller than Jared, and he suddenly had backup, four or five Padalecki cousins materializing by his shoulders. 

“Am I gonna have to break your legs?” Jeff asked evenly.

“What?”

“Am I gonna have to break your legs? I’ve gotta look out for my little brother and niece is all. Wouldn’t want anything to hurt them.”

“I don’t plan to hurt them. I love them both,” he added when Jeff simply raised an eyebrow. A moment later, his heart started pounding after he realized what he just said. It was true; he did love Jared and Kara, but it seemed a little unfair that Jeff got to hear that first before Jared did. “I won’t hurt them, I promise.”

“All right then!” Jeff stated brightly, grinning. “Hotdog or hamburger?” he asked, resuming his grilling duties.

Still reeling from Jeff’s abrupt attitude change, Jensen stuttered, “Uh, hamburger,” and fled back to Jared as soon as Jeff slid one onto his plate.

Later, feeling the acute need for a break from being social, Jensen unhooked Brody and took him for a walk along the water. He danced around Jensen’s legs at first, even though he hadn’t lacked for attention from Jared’s family. It was somewhat quieter over here, despite the other people on the path and the children playing. Maybe because no one tried to engage him in conversation and he could escape into his own head. He needed the peace and quiet of his own thoughts after the day so far.

They looped back around to the Padalecki shelters, but instead of rejoining the crowd, Jensen settled by a big oak tree, scratching Brody’s ears. After awhile, Kara came over and knelt beside him, reaching across to rub Brody’s nose.

“Daddy sent me over to tell you dessert’s out and you better come soon if you want the good stuff,” she said.

“All right. Thanks, Kara,” Jensen replied, tipping his head back against the tree trunk.

“Whatcha doing out here anyway?”

“Just getting away for a minute.”

Kara scrunched up her nose. “They can be kinda loud sometimes.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Jensen teased, poking her in the ribs. She squawked indignantly and launched herself on top of him, tickling his neck and the particularly sensitive area behind his ears. He grunted as her knee jabbed him in the stomach, grateful it wasn’t lower, and fought back with his own fingers up her side. She squirmed and giggled, her messy hair falling over her face and against his cheeks.

“Having fun?”

Jensen brushed Kara’s hair away to discover Jared standing over them, hands on his hips and beaming so hard Jensen’s own face hurt just looking at him. “Yep,” he answered and grimaced as Kara kneed him again as she crawled off his chest.

“Hi, Daddy!”

“Hi, baby.” Jared attempted to fix her hair but gave up quickly. “Are you picking on poor Jensen?”

“He started it!” she protested.

“Traitor!” Jensen accused, and she grinned at him.

“Grandma’s saving a piece of her apple pie for you,” Jared mentioned and sat cross-legged on Jensen’s other side. Kara cheered and took off for the shelter without another word. “You’re adorable,” he murmured once she left, bending over to kiss Jensen. He sucked on Jensen’s bottom lip and hummed, and Jensen leaned into it, fisting a hand in Jared’s thick hair.

“You know I love you, right?” He pulled back enough to see Jared’s face, and the expression there completely blew him away. Jared smiled, even wider and brighter than a few minutes ago, his eyes soft and heated at the same time.

“I love you, too,” Jared declared fiercely and tackled Jensen back to the ground, raining little nipping kisses all over.

Once it started getting dark, everyone broke into groups to find the perfect spots to watch the fireworks. Jensen and Kara spread out their blanket while Jared got out the drinks and extra desserts he’d stolen from the picnic. It wasn’t even fully dark yet before Kara fell asleep with her head pillowed on Jared’s thigh, exhausted from the day’s excitement. Brody lay sprawled out behind them, also conked out. Jensen had no idea how they slept through the deafening boom of the fireworks, but neither of them stirred throughout the entire display. The brilliant explosions of light reflected in Jared’s eyes, and Jensen curled a hand around the back of his neck to draw him down into a kiss. He felt Jared smile against his mouth, and everything else disappeared.

::

“Kara has a slumber party at Lucy’s on Saturday. Come over?” Jared asked, hesitating at Jensen’s door.

“It’s gonna be so much fun!” Kara piped up. “We get to watch movies and eat popcorn! And stay up late!” Her face lit up, and she was practically squirming with excitement. 

Jensen was doing a little of that, too, at least on the inside. He hoped, based on the heated look Jared gave him, that it meant he’d finally get some naked time with Jared. Making out on the couch and quick handjobs and stuff were awesome, definitely incredible, but also extremely frustrating that it hadn’t gone further than that. He knew why. He knew Jared was taking things slow for him and for Kara and that the timing just hadn’t worked out before now. But he was going a little crazy.

“Sure,” Jensen replied. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

“Nah, I’ll take care of it,” Jared assured him with a grin and subtle shifting of his hips.

Okay, now Jensen was positive nakedness was ahead. He kissed Jared goodbye, refraining from rubbing up against him, though it was an incredible effort not to. 

He spent most of Saturday writing to distract himself, but it turned out to be one of his favorite chapters. Jeff planned to come down in a few weeks, though he passed 100,000 words some time ago, and he looked forward to seeing him. He’d never gone this long without Jeff unexpectedly stopping by to make sure he was still alive. He should think about cleaning up what he’d already written, but not tonight. 

When he got across the street, Jared had ordered Chinese and set the table with candles and a fancy tablecloth Jensen suspected he borrowed from his mother. There weren’t any plates or utensils besides the chopsticks, however, and an open bottle of beer sat by each of their chairs. It was such a Jared thing to do, and Jensen couldn’t stop from smiling stupidly.

“Very romantic, Jared,” he mentioned as Jared came back into the dining room.

Jared grinned and pulled him closer for a beer-laced kiss. “Only the best for you, Jen,” he claimed, then kissed him again.

They talked and kissed their way through dinner, and Jared kept touching him, these light touches to his arm or the back of his neck or along his calf. Jensen was half-buzzed on beer, desire crackling along every nerve ending, so he nearly screamed when Jared suggested they watch the baseball game. Jared hit him with the puppy dog eyes, though, and it wasn’t too bad in the end, since Jared sprawled on top of him and pressed kisses to his neck and under his jaw every once in awhile. It was the fourth inning, and the Indians were losing, again, to Texas, but Jensen had no idea what the actual score was or what was really going on.

“Why’d your parents move to Ohio?” he asked, mostly to distract himself from Jared slipping a thigh between his.

“They’re from here. They met in college down in Houston, stayed there for a few years before moving back up here. They actually grew up about 15 minutes away from each other. Their high schools were big rivals,” Jared explained, his words mostly muffled against Jensen’s skin.

“Aw, that’s actually pretty sweet.”

“I know. Gets old, though, when you’ve heard the story eight billion times.” Jared scrunched up his nose, and Jensen grinned. “What about your parents?”

“They met at work. Nothing terribly exciting.”

“Mmm.” Jared sucked on his pulse point, shifting again, and Jensen groaned at the extra friction it caused. He threaded his hands through Jared’s hair and tilted his face up to kiss him, licking along his bottom lip and grinding his hips up. Jared moaned into his mouth and ground down, then pulled away abruptly. He rolled off the couch and to his feet, panting, and held out his hand. “Come on,” he demanded roughly, yanking Jensen up.

Jensen cheered silently to himself and followed Jared upstairs. Jared stopped him halfway up the stairs and in the hallway and barely inside the room to press him against the wall and kiss him, slow and deep and perfect. Jared cupped Jensen’s ass and rocked his hips down. Jensen grasped his shoulders for balance, feeling the shift of muscles with each of Jared’s thrusts, and opened his mouth wider against his. He was ready to burst right now, and they hadn’t even managed to make it to the bed or remove any clothes. Jared growled and pulled away, panting into Jensen’s neck, then spun them around to back Jensen across the room. 

“Jesus,” he swore as his knees hit the bed and Jared crawled on after him, trying to unbutton Jensen’s jeans and take his shirt off at the same time. He got his hands on Jared then, undressing him and caressing every inch of golden skin he revealed. He skimmed his fingertips up Jared’s side, and Jared shuddered, breathing heavily and whimpering.

It seemed to skip a few steps after that, because the next thing Jensen knew, Jared was licking the head of his dick and stretching him open with a lube-slicked finger. Jensen moaned and clutched at the sheets, his hips stuttering. Jared worked him open slowly, till Jensen was shaking and covered in sweat.

“Jared. Jesus, now,” he begged. He didn’t recognize his own voice, it was so gravelly and hoarse.

Jared nodded, and Jensen closed his eyes while Jared prepared himself. Jared lined up but didn’t push in, and Jensen opened his eyes to find Jared gazing down on him seriously, a slight frown wrinkling his brow.

“What’s wrong?” Jensen asked quietly, rubbing his thumb across Jared’s forehead.

“It’s been a really long time for me,” Jared admitted shakily and ducked his head.

“For me, too,” he told him, which seemed to be the right thing, since Jared nodded again and blew out a long breath.

He set a steady pace, jacking Jensen with one hand and wrapping the other around the back of his neck. They kept kissing the whole time, only stopping to breathe and going right back to it. When Jared slowed his movements and rested his forehead against Jensen’s, kissing his nose, Jensen couldn’t hold back anymore and keened loudly. Jared followed after a few more thrusts, then slid onto his side, curling around Jensen.

Later, after cleaning up and kicking the sheets off the bed because of the heat, Jared propped his chin up on his hand and lazily drew random circles on Jensen’s chest. “Can I ask you something without you getting mad at me?”

Puzzled, Jensen narrowed his eyes. “Sure,” he replied slowly.

“Can you go home?”

“What?” He couldn’t quite hide the hurt that caused, and Jared leaned down to kiss him, mumbling “sorry.”

“It’s just that I never let anyone spend the night. Not that there’s been anyone to spend the night lately. Anyway, I don’t think Kara’s ready to see me in bed with another guy in the morning or whatever. She still doesn’t understand the concept of you being my boyfriend and not just her friend. She’s so young, and I really don’t wanna explain sex to her yet.”

“But she’s not even here, Jared.” He loved that Jared never made a decision without considering Kara first, but he’d been looking forward to sleeping in Jared’s arms. If they slept at all.

“I know. But I don’t want you to stay tonight and get used to you being here if you can’t be here every night.”

“You realize that makes no sense?”

“Yeah, but-”

Jensen covered Jared’s mouth and smiled. “I get it, okay? I won’t stay. You’re not kicking me out yet, though, are you?”

“No, I-oh! Oh, shit, Jen.”

Turned out, a really good way of shutting Jared up was to wrap a hand around his dick. Jared grinned down at him and rolled them over, arching his back as Jensen kissed his way down his chest. Stumbling home at 4 a.m., Jensen couldn’t keep the ridiculously giddy smile off his face. It was stupid to even try.

::

Jeff’s plane was coming in at 2. Jensen spent an hour or so cleaning the house, mostly as a distraction, but gave up when he realized Jeff wouldn’t care if there were dust bunnies gathering in the corners. He walked Brody, stopping to talk to Mrs. Tolliver for awhile, and finally just left for the airport early. He sat down in baggage claim, waiting, watching all the exhausted and sometimes lost passengers filing past. When he saw Jeff walking towards him, bag slung over his shoulder and looking particularly grumpy, Jensen couldn’t hold back the huge grin that split his face. Jeff grunted in surprise when Jensen hugged him, but he soon relaxed and wrapped an arm around Jensen’s shoulders.

Jensen smiled wider as he stepped back, then shrugged uncomfortably at Jeff’s intense stare. “What?” he asked, shuffling his feet and blushing.

“Nothing.” He smiled and clapped Jensen on the back. “You look good, kid.”

“Thanks. You, too.” He grabbed Jeff’s laptop bag. “Come on, let’s go. I’m sure you’re tired and want to relax before dinner tonight.”

Jeff nodded, following him through the airport to the parking garage. “What time is dinner?”

“We have a reservation at 6.” Jeff raised an eyebrow at him, and Jensen grinned. In New York, it was unheard of for them to go out before 9 or 10. “Kara can’t be out that late,” he explained. 

“Oh, right. The kid.”

“Is that a problem? That Jared and Kara are coming with us?”

“No, of course not,” he assured him. “I’m just not used to you wanting to bring someone with you. It’s gonna take time to adjust.”

Jensen smacked him lightly on the back of his head, and Jeff grinned at him. Honestly, though, he was still trying to adjust to having Jared as a boyfriend. It was a little crazy how much things had changed.

Brody went ballistic when they arrived back at the house, remembering Jeff as the one that gave him good belly rubs. He flopped onto his back, tongue lolling out as Jeff knelt beside him. Smirking, Jensen took Jeff’s bag upstairs to the guest room, which mostly consisted of an air mattress on the floor, a lone standing lamp in the corner, and a beat up old bookcase by the window. He didn’t exactly get guests very often. Or at all, really.

Jeff asked for the 10-cent tour of his house, then Jensen waited impatiently on the couch while Jeff read the first couple of chapters of his book.

“It’s good, kid,” Jeff finally said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms.

Jensen breathed easier with that short statement, but he couldn’t let it be that simple. “It needs work. The first sentence is crap, and it doesn’t flow right in the middle of chapter two.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, Jensen. It’s good. You’ll polish it up later. I’m not worried. You shouldn’t be either.”

He sighed heavily, sinking back into the couch. “Right. Yeah. Thanks.”

“No problem, kid. What I’m here for,” Jeff told him gently with a half-smile.

Jensen checked the clock on the cable box, surprised by how late it was. “We should get ready. Jared and Kara will be here soon.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

He paused on the steps and glared over his shoulder at Jeff. “No embarrassing stories about me, please, Jeff. I was enough of an idiot when I met Jared. I don’t need you telling him anything else.”

“Would I do that to you?” Jeff asked innocently, but his eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Yes. But you’re not going to, right?”

“I’ll behave. Promise,” he swore when Jensen glared harder at him.

Jensen watched from the living room window as Jared and Kara walked across the street, jittery with nerves. When the doorbell rang, he jumped, then rolled his eyes at himself. He opened the door, and Kara smiled at him, lifting her arms so Jensen could pick her up.

“Hey, sweetheart. You look very pretty,” he said, hugging her and kissing the top of her head.

“Thanks! Grandma helped me pick out my new dress, and Daddy put the barrettes in my hair!” She bounced in his arms and swung her legs, obviously excited to be going to dinner with the grownups.

“Very pretty,” he repeated, grinning. He felt a hand on the back of his neck and turned to meet Jared’s kiss. “Hey.”

“Hey. Sorry we’re a little late. I was arguing with my hair,” Jared said.

“And your hair won?”

“Ha, ha. You’re so hilarious.” He squeezed the back of Jensen’s neck and gave him a once-over, gaze traveling hot and appreciative from the top of his head down to his expensive dress shoes. “You look great.”

“So do you.” He did, the dark suit and white shirt a better cut than what he normally wore for work, but Jensen wasn’t exactly picky when it came to Jared. He thought Jared always looked gorgeous. When he heard a discreet cough behind him, Jensen tore his eyes away from Jared’s and blushed. He’d completely forgotten about Jeff. “Uh, sorry. Jared, Kara, this is my friend Jeff. Jeff, this is my boyfriend Jared and his little girl Kara.”

“Hi! It is so nice to meet you!” Jared exclaimed, shaking Jeff’s hand enthusiastically.

Jeff blinked uncertainly at Jared, then smiled slowly. “You, too.”

Jensen gently nudged Kara, who had buried her face in his shoulder after she noticed Jeff. “Are you gonna say hi?” She shook her head, and Jensen rubbed her back. “He’s nice, sweetheart, I promise. Doesn’t bite or anything, unless he’s really hungry.” Peeking past the lapel of his jacket, she smiled tentatively at Jeff.

Kara warmed up to Jeff considerably once they got to the restaurant. It was interesting, witnessing the normally gruff and bitingly sarcastic Jeff melt under the force of Kara’s adorableness. By the end, she was giggling at his light teasing. It took Jeff a little longer to get used to Jared’s enthusiasm, but Jensen knew from experience how inevitably, and easily, Jared drew people in. Despite his worry, Jeff didn’t share any embarrassing stories about him. Maybe because Jensen glared at him and kicked his foot under the table in warning. 

They stayed long after dessert, talking about God only knows what. It wasn’t until Kara crawled onto Jared’s lap and practically fell asleep with her head on his chest that they finally got the check and headed home. Jensen left Jeff at his house and walked Jared across the street to say goodnight without Jeff hovering curiously nearby.

“I like him. He’s cool and obviously cares about you. Not that I blame him,” Jared declared quietly with a smile. Kara had attached herself to his leg, eyelids drooping and about a breath away from falling asleep.

“Yeah, he’s not too bad,” Jensen replied, and Jared laughed.

“Have fun with him this weekend. I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”

Jensen sighed. That was the bad thing about Jeff’s visit- no alone time with Jared. They didn’t normally go that long without seeing each other.

“Hey, I’m always up for a quickie if you want to sneak over later after he’s asleep.” Jared grinned crookedly at him, then slowly licked his lips. Jensen’s eyes involuntarily tracked the movement.

“I hate you,” he muttered.

“Mm, yeah, I can tell,” Jared murmured, leaning in close to suck Jensen’s bottom lip into his mouth. He kissed him, deep and hungry, before pulling away and smiling softly. “I should get Kara to bed. Go back to your houseguest, Jen.”

Jensen wrinkled his nose and pouted, but Jared was right. He should get back to Jeff. And they could totally make it a couple days apart. He bent down to hug Kara goodnight, then stood to kiss Jared once more. He found Jeff in the kitchen, drinking coffee and staring out into the dark backyard. Jensen joined him by the sink and leaned against the counter.

“He’s good for you, kid. They both are,” Jeff said, breaking the silence.

Jensen didn’t need his approval, but it still made him flush happily to receive it.

“I’m happy for you, Jensen, really happy.”

“Thanks.” He blushed awkwardly and moved to the opposite counter to hide it, fiddling with the coffee maker. He wasn’t sure how it happened exactly, how Jeff went from his agent to pretty much his best friend, but he was grateful for it, for everything he’d done for him over the years.

Jeff sensed his discomfort and changed the subject. They went through countless pots of coffee, laughed till Jensen cried and nearly fell off his chair, discussed everything from his book to the weather to their families, and hardly slept at all, but it was one of the best weekends of his life. He hated to see Monday morning and Jeff’s flight time arrive.

“Take care of yourself, kid,” Jeff requested, pulling him in for a one-armed hug.

“I will,” Jensen promised and watched as Jeff worked his way through security.

::

Jensen walked over to Jared’s backyard with Kara’s present in hand, then stopped abruptly, staring in awe at all the decorations. Jared had maybe gone a little overboard with the Mexican theme. Besides the giant piñata swinging from the oak tree in the corner, chili pepper lights and mini piñatas in the shape of unicorns lined the whole length of the fence. Jared had also hung green, white, and red streamers and balloons everywhere, as well as several authentic-looking sombreros. Mariachi music flowed from a radio propped in the open kitchen window.

“So, what do you think?” Jared asked excitedly, coming up to stand by Jensen’s shoulder.

“It’s- wow. You definitely ran with the theme, didn’t you?”

“It was Kara’s idea, you know, after something she saw on Dora. She picked out most of it,” Jared insisted, pouting.

“Everything looks awesome, Jared,” he assured him. It did; it was just a little much. Jared beamed at him, though, and leaned close to kiss him lightly. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Nah, it’s pretty much all set. Mom and Dad helped earlier. I just need to grab a couple things from the kitchen.”

Jensen nodded and wandered over to put Kara’s present with the rest of the pile. Sharon and Gerry were nearby with Mrs. Tolliver, and they exchanged greetings. Jensen loved Sharon, but he still felt awkward around Jared’s dad for whatever reason. And Mrs. Tolliver always made him blush in embarrassment when she pinched his cheeks and gushed about how handsome he was.

Kara finally noticed him and broke away from her friends to run over to him. “Hi, Jensen!” she shouted, jumping into his arms. She was wearing a striped gray and purple poncho and a big smile.

“Hey, sweetheart. Happy birthday!” He kissed her forehead, and she giggled happily.

“Thanks!”

“Six, huh? You’re getting old. You’ll have to get a job and start driving soon.”

“Jensen! I’m only six!” she protested, giggling again.

“Oh, right. Sorry. I was thinking 16, not 6.”

“You’re silly, Jensen.”

He mock-growled and tickled her ribs. Kara collapsed against him, breathless with laughter, and Jensen held her close. Six months ago, he never expected his life to take this turn, and it still caught him by surprise sometimes, how much he loved Jared and Kara. He glanced up over Kara’s head and watched Sharon and Mrs. Tolliver exchange fondly amused looks. Sharon’s warm smile made his stomach churn. Another of Kara’s friends arrived then, and she squirmed away from him to go say hi.

There was plenty of food, which the kids mostly ignored in favor of running around and shouting. The backyard was pretty much chaos, but it was a happy chaos, and for once Jensen didn’t want to go hide inside away from everyone. He did, however, follow Jared in at one point, just for a private moment. Jared stood at the counter dumping more cookies onto a plate, and Jensen stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing the back of his neck.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“Hey,” Jared answered, squeezing his hand.

“How you holding up, with your baby turning six and all?” He rested his chin on Jared’s shoulder, tightening his arms. He knew Jared had both looked forward to and dreaded this day.

“I’m okay. I think,” he added with a sigh. They stayed silent a moment until Jared sighed again and bowed his head. “I can’t believe she’s six already. It seems like just yesterday that Gabby brought her home from the hospital.”

“Jared-”

Jared turned around and leaned against the counter, but he kept his hold on one of Jensen’s hands. “Did I ever tell you about her first day of school? She was so excited, barely slept the night before and drove me crazy bouncing around that morning. I smiled and took pictures and put her on the bus. Then came in here and cried for an hour. I missed work that day because I couldn’t get it together. And that was just because she went to kindergarten.” He smiled ruefully and shook his head.

“My mom did the same thing on my first day of kindergarten, only she dropped me off at school, bawling her eyes out. Embarrassed the hell out of me. Great way to start school.” Jared smirked and tugged him closer, burying his head in Jensen’s neck. “She’s your little girl. It’s all right to be upset about her growing up.”

“I know. Thanks, Jen.” He kissed the underside of Jensen’s jaw, then pulled away. “Should get back out there, before things get out of control.”

Jensen snorted. There were plenty of adults to supervise, but no way could you control a couple dozen first graders. Kissing Jared one more time, Jensen helped him carry the food outside.

After lunch, the kids played the games Jared had organized- pin the tail on the donkey (Kara pinned hers on the nose and thought it was so funny she didn’t care that she lost.), beanbag toss, egg race, a few Jensen had never heard of and couldn’t follow, and of course the piñata. The thing was huge and surprisingly well made. None of the kids could crack it, and Jared ended up having to whack off one of the legs to get it started. It split wide open not long after, and the kids scrambled all over the grass to gather up every piece of candy. Well, everything except the pieces Jared surreptitiously stole and shared with him.

Next came presents and cake. Because what the kids needed on top of piñata candy was more sugar. Kara squealed happily every time she opened a present, no matter what it was, and soon she had an impressive stack of crumpled wrapping paper piled next to her on the ground. Parents started arriving then to collect their children, and Jensen helped make sure they each left with a goody bag.

Jared disappeared inside with the last guest, only Jensen and his parents remaining, and Jensen collapsed into a chair on the deck gratefully. It had gotten cooler as the afternoon faded into evening. He rubbed his arms as the breeze blew a chill over his skin. Kara wandered over, climbing up on his lap and laying her head heavily on his chest.

“Hey there, birthday girl. You have a good party?” he asked, kissing her temple and rubbing her back. She nodded silently and fisted a hand in his shirt, falling asleep in the next breath. Jensen smiled, shifting her to a more secure position on his lap. She may be six now, but she still looked small, fragile, her face open and peaceful in sleep, and Jensen’s heart clenched painfully in his chest. He wanted this, so badly it hurt, wanted to be there for all Kara’s birthdays, to watch her grow up, wanted to spend the next 50 years with Jared. He never imagined he’d find this, never even looked for it, and he couldn’t help but think his gran had a hand in it, watching out for him even though she was gone.

“Someone partied too hard,” Jared said, coming up behind him and startling him slightly.

“Yeah,” Jensen answered quietly. “Do you want help cleaning up?” He bent his head back to gaze up at Jared, amazed, as always, by how gorgeous he was.

“Nah, we’ve got it. You just stay here.” He ran a hand over Kara’s hair and kissed the top of her head, then pressed his lips to Jensen’s for a slow, deep kiss. When he pulled away, Jensen automatically chased his mouth, and Jared laughed against him.

Jensen sat there, holding Kara while she slept, as Jared and his parents packed up all the food and bagged the trash. He could maybe handle having more days like this in his life. After awhile, he stood up, cradling Kara’s dead weight in his arms, and walked into the kitchen.

“I’m gonna get her in bed,” he told Jared, who nodded from his place half-buried in the fridge, trying to find room for all the leftovers.

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

Jensen carefully laid Kara in bed and removed her shoes before tucking the blankets around her. She didn’t stir at all, just snuggled into her pillow. He leaned against the door as Jared kissed her goodnight.

“She’s kinda perfect, isn’t she?” he murmured, drawing Jared into his arms.

“I like to think so, yeah.” Jared cupped his cheeks and kissed him gently. “Can you- can you stay tonight?”

Jensen grinned, because he knew how much that question meant to all of them. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He woke up the next morning with Jared wrapped around him, head resting next to his on the pillow. He pressed a kiss to Jared’s forehead and scooted closer, then closed his eyes again. 

::

Jared promised to take Kara to a fancy McDonald’s about an hour south, so they all piled in Jared’s car. He refused to say what was so special about this McDonald’s, and Kara pestered him the whole drive, trying to guess what it was. She started off with serious suggestions like an outdoor play area, which the one closest to them didn’t have, but got more ridiculous with each one, till they all traded crazy ideas like tables made out of cheese or fireflies in jars as lighting. By the time they pulled into the parking lot, Jared and Kara were giggling so hard tears streamed down their faces. 

“They do have a playground, Daddy!” Kara exclaimed as she climbed out of the car. She bounced on her toes and grabbed Jared’s hand to drag them closer.

“Yeah. There’s more, though,” Jared answered, grinning.

“Really?”

“Yep. Come on.”

Kara slipped her other hand into Jensen’s, hurrying them across the parking lot to the door. When they walked into the restaurant, Kara squealed happily and ran to the back. The entire length of the back wall was glass and looked out on an area full of birdcages. It was a riot of colorful plants and exotic birds, but the thick glass thankfully blocked out the noise. Jensen left Kara pointing out her favorite birds to Jared and ordered their food, not that Kara ate a whole lot. She spent most of the meal with her face pressed to the window, half-eaten and forgotten hamburger in one hand and the biggest grin stretching across her face.

“Did you see that one just fly up to the tippy top and hang upside down?” she asked excitedly, turning to their side of the booth.

They exchanged amused glances, and Jared set down his fries before saying, “Very cool. You’d think he’d get dizzy doing that.”

“Daddy! Birds don’t get dizzy!”

“They don’t?”

“No,” Kara declared, like that was something simple everyone should know, and Jared was silly for not figuring it out.

“Right. Sorry.”

Jensen hid a laugh behind his milkshake and watched Jared try not to lose it.

Kara eventually grew tired of the birds, however, and asked to go outside to play. As they were gathering the trash, a “thunderstorm” began. Fake thunder boomed over speakers in the ceiling, the lights dimmed and flickered, and water poured down between the panes of glass on the birds’ window. Kara stood in the middle of the aisle, transfixed, mouth hanging open, and wouldn’t move till the storm ended 10 minutes later. It was pretty impressive, especially to a six-year-old, and Jensen imagined a lot of parents brought their kids here for a treat.

They sat at a table outside while Kara played, Jensen finishing his milkshake and Jared working on the fries Kara hadn’t eaten. She waved from the top of the slide each time and giggled at the faces Jared made. Jensen settled for waving back.

“This place is pretty cool,” he mentioned, sneaking a couple fries away from Jared.

“I saw that,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes and pouting.

“I’ll pay you back later.” He shot for seductive and guessed Jared understood what he meant, since he smiled slowly and rubbed his foot along Jensen’s calf. 

“We used to beg our parents to come here when I was little. Seems silly for a McDonald’s to be so exciting, but it really was.” He turned his attention back toward Kara, but his foot stayed in place, wrapped slightly around Jensen’s ankle. “I’m glad it’s still here.”

They talked while Kara played, and somewhere between stealing more of Jared’s fries and Kara crawling tiredly onto his lap, Jensen realized how easy this was, how much he wanted more days like this with these two incredible people, how he wanted to be with them, always. He felt some of that on Kara’s birthday, but this was…more intense, more everything.

“You okay?”

Jensen startled at Jared’s voice, too caught up in his thoughts. “What?”

“You all right? You looked like you were a million miles away.”

“Yeah, I’m good. I’m great,” he corrected himself, grinning. Jared gave him a funny look till Jensen laid a hand on Jared’s wrist. “I’m fine, honest.”

“Okay then. Who’s up for dessert?” Jared asked loudly.

“Me!” Kara said just as loudly, then giggled when Jared pulled her onto his lap and tickled her neck. 

They drove to a frozen custard place down the street. Kara ended up covered in chocolate, but that was mostly because of Jared messing around. Jensen nearly snorted ice cream up his nose, grateful he wouldn’t have the task of cleaning Kara up once they got back. He expected her to fall asleep on the ride home, but she talked the whole time, pointing out houses she liked and places she thought they should go. Listening to her, it struck Jensen again how much he wanted this in his life.

Later that night, sitting on the floor in Jared’s living room watching a movie, Jensen did what he so often did since meeting Jared and spoke without thinking. “Do you wanna move in together?” he blurted, then stopped because that wasn’t something he ever really considered before, but he realized how much he wanted it in that moment.

Jared paused the movie and shifted around toward him. He stared silently at him for a few moments, his face not betraying anything, but Jensen could tell he was breathing rapidly. “Are you serious?” he finally asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m serious.” His heart sped up, but he couldn’t fight the smile tugging at his lips. Maybe the possibility never crossed his mind before five minutes ago, but it felt right.

“Hey, Kara?” Jared called, and she glanced over from her coloring spot across the room. “What do you think about moving across the street to live with Jensen?” he asked, eyes never leaving Jensen’s face.

“Brody, too?” She sat up on her knees, bouncing eagerly.

Jared’s lips twitched. “Brody, too.”

“Okay!” 

“Okay?” Jared murmured and leaned toward Jensen.

He took a deep breath, finally letting his smile break free, and replied, “Okay.”

He wasn’t sure what he loved more, when Jared tossed the remote to the side and tackled him to the floor with an enthusiastic kiss or when Kara joined the pile for a group hug. Either way, Jensen figured it’d only get better from here.

The End

But wait! There's more! 

These are just a few random scenes that I had to write, since these boys wouldn't leave me alone. They didn't fit into the body of the story, but I had to share.

::

Jared carefully balanced the diaper bag, the car seat, and a box full of Kara’s toys while he unlocked his door. He dumped the box and diaper bag inside the door, then gently set the car seat on the couch and unbuckled Kara. She was mostly asleep on the car ride over, but she opened her eyes when Jared lifted her out. He sat on the couch, cradling her in his arms, and a feeling of what do I do now? washed over him. Kara flailed an arm and made a sleepy protesting noise. Standing up, Jared went over to the diaper bag and dug out her stuffed duck. Its fur was matted from drool and it was missing a foot, but Kara instantly settled down when he gave it to her. He stayed there for a few minutes, rocking her gently, before placing her in the crib in her small bedroom. He covered her with a blanket and rubbed her tummy, then finally went back into the living room.

He started putting things away to distract himself, emptying all the boxes of Kara’s stuff he’d gotten from Gabby’s. He rearranged cupboards to make room for her bottles and formula, stacked her toys in storage bins in the corner of the living room, away from the mess of cables by the TV, and did the general baby-proofing he hadn’t had time to do before now.

At the end, he stood in the middle of the living room and looked around, at all the changes to his apartment and to his life. What the hell was he thinking when he agreed to do this? He was just a grad student with a tiny, cramped apartment and a crappy part-time job at the University library. He didn’t know how to be a parent, what to do when Kara got sick or asked questions he couldn’t answer. He couldn’t do this. He can’t. He-

His inner monologue cut off at a sudden knock on his door. He threw it open and smiled when he saw his mom on the other side. “Hi,” he breathed, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Hi, honey. I thought you might need me,” she said and hugged him back just as hard.

“You have no idea. I am so happy to see you.”

They moved over to the couch, and his mom framed his face with her hands. “Are you all right, honey?”

He shook his head, letting the tears spill over that he’d fought all day. Gabby’s funeral was less than a week ago, and he could never quite forget the pain. She drew his head down to lay on her chest, and he held on tightly. “Why did this happen? Why Gabby? Why now, when she had so much to live for?”

“I don’t know, honey. I wish I had the answers for you.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Mom. Why did Gabby ask me to take Kara?” He would do anything for Gabby and for Kara, but surely there were more qualified people. This was a little girl’s life in his hands, and he just wanted the best for her.

“She asked you because she trusted you to raise her daughter. I won’t lie, Jared. Being a parent is hard. It won’t always be sunshine-and-roses, but it’s worth it. I know you can do this. You’re going to be the best daddy to her. Just remember I’m always here if you need me.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, sniffling.

The baby monitor crackled to life as Kara started crying, these little hiccupping sobs, and the sound tore at his heart.

“I’ll go get her,” his mom offered, but Jared shook his head.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll get her.”

He paused outside her door to calm down and wipe away the tracks of his tears, then headed in. Kara held her arms up to him as soon as he walked up to the crib, her cries slowly quieting. When he picked her up, she immediately fisted the collar of his shirt and tucked herself under his chin. And somehow, the warm weight of her against his chest, the smell of her baby shampoo, and the softness of her skin chased all his doubts away.

“I will always try my best, baby. No matter what, I promise I will always try my best,” he swore, resting his cheek on the top of her head and rubbing her back. Kara snuffled softly.

Not always sunshine-and-roses, but worth it. Jared had faith in that.

::

The house was dark and unnaturally quiet when Jensen let himself in. He wondered if he’d read Jared wrong, if he’d just been kidding about the quickie thing. He hesitated in the entranceway for a moment before deciding he was an idiot. Letting out a breath, he went in search of Jared. He wasn’t in his bedroom or the kitchen, but a faint noise caught his attention there, and he quietly crept toward it. He found him in the laundry room, methodically folding towels and humming to himself, hips swaying slightly to the irregular beat. He looked rumpled in just a pair of low-slung pajama pants, chest and feet bare, hair sticking up on one side where he’d probably run his hand through it too much. Jensen leaned in the doorway and admired the view for a minute, letting the slow burn of desire seep through his veins.

“Hey,” he finally murmured softly, and Jared whirled around to face him, smacking himself in the face with a hand towel. He recovered quickly, though, taking two long strides that brought him within touching distance of Jensen.

“I wasn’t sure you’d actually show up,” he admitted, hands gentle on Jensen’s hips to tug him closer.

“Do you always do your laundry at 3 o’clock in the morning, then?” Jensen smirked but hitched in a breath when Jared leaned forward and nuzzled his jaw, grazing his teeth over Jensen’s pulse point. Jensen snaked a hand around Jared’s neck to grip the back of his hair and tilted his head to give Jared better access.

“I hoped. I wasn’t sure,” Jared murmured against his neck, working his way down to his shoulder and nudging aside the collar of the dress shirt he never bothered to change out of.

“Almost didn’t. I kinda left Jeff passed out on the couch, so this does need to be quick, since I did, ya know, leave Jeff passed out on the couch, and we’re pretty much in the open here. What if Kara wakes up and-”

Jared pulled back to look at him, a mix of amusement and frustration on his face. “Jensen? Just shut up and kiss me,” he growled, his pupils blown wide so only a thin ring of hazel showed.

Jensen didn’t even think about refusing him.

It was all tongue and teeth, a desperate need for more and now and closer. Jensen moaned and panted into Jared’s mouth, stumbling over a pile of clothes on the floor as Jared spun them around and shoved him toward the washing machine. Jensen felt the cool metal through his thin dress pants and shivered, but that was more due to Jared lining their hips up and rocking against him. It was amazing but obviously not enough, since Jared made a faint protesting noise and stepped back. He grasped Jensen’s hips and manhandled him on top of the washing machine. It was off but vibrating slightly from the force of the dryer beside it.

“I’m not a girl,” Jensen pouted.

Jared ignored him and kissed him again, licking into his mouth and sucking on his tongue. He moved Jensen’s legs around his waist and pressed forward and oh, holy shit! Maybe Jared had the right idea, because this new angle made things a lot more interesting. Throwing his head back, he dug his heels into the back of Jared’s thighs, right under his ass, holding onto the edge of the washing machine so hard he thought he might break his fingers. Jared took advantage of the way that bared his throat to lick a stripe down his neck and thumbed open the first three or four buttons of his shirt, following the line his tongue had made back up with his lips and sucking a bruise into his chest. 

“Jared,” he whimpered, unable to catch his breath or concentrate on anything besides the way Jared’s dick was grinding against his, hard and hot and dirty. “Oh, Jesus,” he swore and came, Jared’s heat surrounding him and the scent of detergent and fabric softener filling his nose.

“Shit, Jen. Feel so fucking good,” Jared said before sealing their mouths together and shuddering through his own orgasm. 

He pretty much collapsed against Jensen’s chest, shaking and breathing harshly through his nose, and Jensen pried his hands off the washing machine to wrap his arms around Jared’s back, pressing light kisses to his temple and cheek. When they finally calmed down, Jared backed away to allow Jensen to slide to his feet. He grimaced slightly at the wet spot spreading on his pants, but that incredible orgasm was totally worth ruining his clothes.

“I should get back,” Jensen told him reluctantly as Jared kissed the side of his neck, just behind his ear.

“Mmm, don’t wanna let you go,” Jared objected, tightening his arms around Jensen’s waist.

“I know. Me either, but I really should go.”

Jared pouted, then smiled wickedly. “Same time tomorrow?” he asked.

Jensen shook his head fondly and let Jared draw him back into a kiss.

He was tiptoeing quietly past the couch to the stairs when Jeff sat up and cleared his throat. Jensen turned to him guiltily, grateful for the dark so Jeff couldn’t see him blushing.

“Your shirt’s buttoned wrong,” he stated, smirking.

“Oh, shut up,” Jensen demanded weakly and went upstairs to the sound of Jeff laughing hysterically behind him.

::

Jensen was sitting up in bed reading when Jared bounded in their room and crawled on the bed. He grabbed the book out of Jensen’s hands, careful to mark the page, and tossed it onto the nightstand. Rolling on top of Jensen, he grinned and nuzzled under his jaw.

“Hey,” he said happily.

“Hi,” Jensen replied, amused. He bent his head, resting his hand against the small of Jared’s back, right above the top of his jeans. “Kara asleep?”

“Yeah. She practically passed out as soon as I turned out the light. I think the excitement of moving wore her out.”

“Mmm.” He felt more wired than sleepy right now. Having pretty much the whole neighborhood, plus Jared’s family, help them move meant less work for them to do on their own, and it had gone quickly. He brushed Jared’s hair out of his eyes and tilted up to kiss him.

Jared hummed, slipping a hand under Jensen’s shirt to skim across his abs and up his side. Moaning, Jensen arched into the touch and deepened the kiss, licking into Jared’s mouth and shamelessly rubbing against him. He whimpered in protest when Jared pulled away, then gasped as Jared pushed his t-shirt up and started kissing and licking his way down his chest. His tongue flicked teasingly at a nipple, and Jared grinned up at him, knowing how that always affected him. Jared cupped his erection through the thin cotton of his pajama pants, and Jensen hissed in a breath. He never quite got used to how good it felt to have Jared’s huge hands on him. Jensen tugged him back up to kiss him, slowly rolling his hips in Jared’s grip, but Jared didn’t stay long. He moved back down, pressing wet kisses to Jensen’s stomach and dipping his fingers into the slit of his pajamas to draw his dick out.

“Fuck!” Jensen ground out, hips bucking. He was suddenly very, very grateful Kara had chosen the bedroom farthest away from theirs.

Jared chuckled, low and dirty, and it vibrated through Jensen’s whole body, making him even harder. He licked around the head of his dick, teeth scraping lightly on the underside, before sliding his lips down an inch or two. It wasn’t enough to do anything but tease, and Jensen laid a hand on the back of Jared’s neck, hoping he’d get the message and give him more. Instead, Jared pulled off with a quietly obscene pop and tugged his shirt off. He kissed Jensen, with a short detour to his chest again, then took Jensen’s shirt off as well. Jensen reached for Jared’s belt and pants, moaning around the slick press of Jared’s tongue against his. Jared rolled his hips down, and their erections rubbed together, amazing even through the scratchy denim of Jared’s jeans. Jared seemed in no hurry to move things along, content to take his time with this exquisite torture. Jensen was torn between screaming in frustration and just letting Jared have his way. It wasn’t often that they had an opportunity like this, and that was one of the awesome things about moving in together that Jensen hadn’t really anticipated. He’d never lived with anyone before, and so far, their first night together was fucking spectacular.

“Jared,” he groaned as Jared once more slid down his body, lips leaving a burning trail on his skin till he got to his dick. He didn’t play around this time, though, and went down on him in one wet slide, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard. “Fuck! Oh, fuck, Jared!”

He always did this amazing tongue thing against the tip of his dick that made Jensen lose his damn mind, and Jensen had to muffle a scream in his fist so the entire neighborhood wouldn’t hear what was going on. Jared smiled around his dick, and it should look ridiculous, but it only drew a moan from deep out of Jensen’s chest. He spread his legs wider, and Jared straddled Jensen’s thigh, seeking friction for himself. Jensen pressed his cheek into the pillow, breathing harshly as Jared paused to tug Jensen’s pajama pants off. After a minute and when Jensen was just about to come, Jared backed off again and leaned up to kiss the corner of his mouth, wrapping a hand around his dick instead.

“Jerk,” Jensen muttered into Jared’s mouth, then cut off Jared’s laughter by shoving his tongue down his throat, threading his fingers through the curls at the back of his head. He switched their positions, holding Jared beneath him, and got rid of Jared’s jeans, prepared to give Jared a taste of his own medicine and was gratified to hear him inhale shakily at the first swipe of Jensen’s tongue. He whimpered Jensen’s name over and over, and that was something else he never got used to, the sound of Jared all desperate and needy, saying his name in that fucked out and awe-filled way. He licked and sucked at Jared’s hipbones, leaving faint red marks, slowly moving back to his dick. 

“Shit, Jen.” Jared roamed his hands everywhere, in his hair, his back, cupping his shoulder, his face, and finally settled with one on his neck and the other landing heavily on his own stomach. He shifted restlessly on the bed, biting his bottom lip against any noise, and Jensen knew he was getting close by his increasingly erratic breathing.

He rolled to the side and propped himself up on one elbow, grinning blatantly at Jared’s scowl, then grunted when Jared moved lightning fast and pinned him to the mattress, gripping Jensen’s wrists in one hand above his head on the pillow and lining their dicks up. Jared grinned wickedly at him and dipped his head to bite gently at his pulse point. Letting go of his wrists, Jared somehow removed their underwear without dislodging himself from his position on top of Jensen, and it was even better now that they were skin-to-skin, nothing between them but a thin sheen of sweat. Jensen hooked an ankle around Jared’s and skimmed his fingertips down his spine to grip Jared’s ass. Jared framed his face and pressed feather-light, barely-there kisses to his cheeks and eyebrows and chin and across his nose and each corner of his mouth, a random pattern of kitten soft touches that contrasted almost jarringly with the way he rocked his hips down into Jensen’s. It made his heart beat fast and his breath hitch, that combination of dirty grinding and tender kisses, and Jensen closed his eyes against the onslaught of emotions that suddenly flooded through him.

Jared groped blindly in the drawer of the nightstand, knocking stuff to the floor with dull thuds on the carpet, and came back with a bottle of lube and a string of condoms. He knelt between Jensen’s spread legs and popped the cap on the lube. Before he could blink, Jared was pressing a lube-slicked finger into him, unhurriedly stroking in and out. His mouth hovered over Jensen’s, swallowing all his needy, breathy sobs. Jensen fisted the sheets and arched into the hand Jared curled around his dick, jerking him off slowly. Jared pulled out and added another finger, scissoring them and stretching him open, but very deliberately avoiding his prostate.

“Jared, Jesus, come on,” Jensen whined and pushed back against Jared’s hand.

“Shh, Jen. I got you. I got you, Jen, just hold on,” he murmured into Jensen’s neck, and the deep rumble of his voice sent shivers down Jensen’s spine. “Love seeing you like this, Jen. Love knowing I can do this to you, get you begging and so eager for me.” He kissed across the underside of Jensen’s jaw to suck on his earlobe, sliding a third finger in easily.

“Jared.” He felt the curve of Jared’s smile against the heated flush of his skin, and if he didn’t get Jared inside him right now, he might die.

Jared sat back and finally grabbed a condom, and Jensen followed him up, tugging his head down impatiently for a kiss that was a lot deeper and wetter and hungrier than their earlier ones. Jensen took the condom from Jared and ripped it open, then held the base of Jared’s dick as he slid it on. Jared made a sexy mewling noise in the back of his throat, hips snapping up. Smirking, Jensen crawled forward on his knees to straddle Jared’s lap, and they let out twin groans as he sank back down. They paused for a moment so Jensen could adjust to the initial burn. He dropped his head to rest on Jared’s chest, gasping when Jared started rolling his hips up, languid, slow thrusts that built in intensity till Jensen couldn’t focus on anything but where Jared touched him and the steady beat of Jared’s heart under his ear.

“Holy shit, Jen,” Jared moaned and grasped Jensen’s hip, nails digging in to just this side of pain.

Replying with something completely incoherent, Jensen wrapped a hand around his dick and tangled the other one with Jared’s where it laid on the bed next to his thigh. Jared nudged his head up with his chin and pressed his mouth to Jensen’s, deep and drugging, their tongues slip-sliding against each other. They got into an easy rhythm, moving in counterpoint to one another, and it was ridiculous and a little clichéd, but Jensen never loved Jared more than in that moment. 

Jensen knew when Jared was close, could feel it in the way his thrusts got deeper and harder, could hear it in the broken way Jared said his name. After a few more thrusts, Jared went absolutely still for a moment, then shuddered and panted through his orgasm. He began moving again almost immediately, bringing the hand from Jensen’s hip to his dick, jerking him off together. Jensen’s head fell to Jared’s shoulder as he came all over their hands and stomachs. Jared wiped his hand off on the sheet and cupped Jensen’s face. Smiling, he kissed his forehead and his nose, then lightly pressed their mouths together.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Jensen mustered the energy to hang over the side of the bed to grab one of their t-shirts to clean them up. He flopped back on the bed, and Jared curled around him, laying his head on Jensen’s chest and kissing his shoulder. Jensen yawned, then laughed softly as Jared did the same. Pulling the comforter over them, Jensen reached over to turn off the light.

“Welcome home,” he murmured and snuggled closer to Jared.

::

Jared was still asleep after Jensen got out of the shower. He grabbed some breakfast to distract himself, but it didn’t help for long. He was too anxious, so he dug through his hiding place under the bed for the present, then climbed up next to the softly snoring Jared. He watched him quietly for a few minutes, caught as always by how young he looked in sleep. Brushing the hair out of his eyes, Jensen leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Jared snuffled but didn’t stir otherwise, simply scrunched up his nose and turned more into his pillow. Jensen continued to place a line of kisses across his cheek, down his nose, and over his chin till Jared finally woke up and feebly raised a hand to bat him away.

“Wake up, sleepy-head,” Jensen murmured, smiling at Jared’s adorably confused expression.

“Wha?” he asked sleepily. He blinked up at Jensen and scrunched up his nose again.

“It’s late, and I have something I wanna give you, so get your lazy ass up.”

“Lazy?” He pouted, kicking Jensen’s shin, then brightened, suddenly comprehending Jensen’s words. “You have a present for me? Did I miss an anniversary or something?”

“Nope. Just because,” he said when Jared lifted an eyebrow.

“Okay! Give me a minute!” He rolled out of bed and bounded toward the bathroom. When he came back, he gave Jensen a mint toothpaste-tasting kiss. “All right, I want my present now!”

Jensen rolled his eyes and placed the box in his lap. Jared tore the paper off quickly and opened it, then went absolutely still, looking up at Jensen with his mouth open.

“Really? You finished?” He reverently caressed a finger over the thick stack of paper and swallowed.

“Just last night,” Jensen told him, smiling.

“You’ll really let me read your book? Right now?”

“Yeah. I haven’t even sent Jeff a copy yet. It’s just the rough draft, but I wanted you to-” Jensen cut off as Jared tackled him down on the bed and kissed him enthusiastically.

“I can’t believe you’d- Jesus, Jen.” He cupped Jensen’s jaw and leaned down to kiss him again, slower this time, licking into his mouth. “Thank you,” he murmured against Jensen’s neck after he pulled away and buried his nose there.

“Welcome. Just never tell Jeff I let you see it first. He’ll kill me, probably try to sue me for breach of contract or something.” Jared snorted, and Jensen carded his fingers through Jared’s messy hair.

Jared sat up, placing a sloppy kiss to the corner of Jensen’s mouth, and demanded, “Now go away and let me read in peace. Don’t disturb me unless there’s an apocalypse.” Fluffing the pillows up by the headboard, he settled the box in his lap and proceeded to completely ignore him.

Jensen marveled at the switch from happy boyfriend to devoted J Ross fanboy. Looked like he had the responsibility of the house for the day. He paused at the door to watch him for a few minutes. Jared still had his pajamas on, a mismatched pair of plaid flannel ones that Kara gave him for Christmas, pillow creases lined his cheek, and his hair stuck up on one side in an impressive bird’s nest. He looked beautiful, though, with the sun streaming in the blinds and painting stripes on his golden skin, a manic expression of glee on his face as he devoured the words on the page. Jensen left the room with a ridiculously sappy smile.

Kara was sitting at the dining room table with a bowl of Fruit Loops when he got downstairs. She waved at him with her spoon, and he tried not to grimace at the milky mess it left on the table.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

“Morning, Jensen! Where’s Daddy? He’s not up yet?”

“Jared’s reading, so it’s just us today.”

She rolled her eyes, obviously used to Jared’s reading habits by now. “Okay.”

“What do you wanna do? Something special? Or just hang out here and watch TV in our jammies all day?” That was usually a once-a-month Sunday activity, but he figured they could make an exception today.

Kara looked thoughtful for a minute, then smiled brightly. “Can we go see the dinosaurs?” she asked, sitting up on her knees, cereal long forgotten.

“At the museum?” She nodded vigorously, causing a piece of hair to fall in her eyes. He tucked it back behind her ear. “Sure. Go get dressed, and I’ll let your daddy know where we’re gonna be.”

“He won’t notice. Last time I spent the night with Grandma, because Daddy gets all weird when he’s reading.”

“Well, today you get me,” he told her, and she beamed up at him. “Go on. I’ll clean this up.”

“Okay!” she exclaimed happily and clambered off the chair.

Jensen put her dirty dishes in the sink and went to tell Jared what was going on. Jared barely looked up from the book, nodding once and grunting in response. Shaking his head, Jensen headed back downstairs. Kara was waiting for him with her coat on already. He grabbed his coat out of the hall closet and followed her out to the garage. She talked his ear off for the entire car ride, then fell surprisingly quiet when they walked into the museum. They spent the day wandering around looking at all the displays, Kara holding tight to his hand and bouncing excitedly about everything. The wooly mammoth was her favorite, and he bought her a small stuffed one before they left. She tried to name it Jensen, giggling at his outraged scowl, and finally agreed on Bob when Jensen tickled her neck.

Brody practically knocked them down when they got home, barking and dancing in circles at their feet till Kara let him outside and Jensen fed him. As far as Jensen could tell, Jared hadn’t moved much since that morning. He didn’t even react when Jensen turned on the bedside light for him. Kara wanted chicken and rolls for dinner, so Jensen headed down to the kitchen to start it. She lay curled up on the couch with Brody at her feet, watching something on the Disney channel. Jensen sighed. He never could keep Brody off the furniture.

The smell of food must’ve roused Jared from his reading coma, because Jensen felt Jared’s arms wrap around him from behind as he prepared the salad. Jared lightly kissed a path down his neck, then rested his forehead between his shoulder blades. 

“I wasn’t sure you’d surface today at all,” Jensen mentioned, smiling. He reached back to brush a hand through Jared’s hair and caress his cheek before going back to the salad.

“You’re amazing,” Jared murmured.

“It’s just chicken, Jared.”

“No, Jen. Your book. It’s incredible.”

Jensen blushed, feeling the heat all the way down his chest. “It’s just the rough draft. It still needs plenty of work to get it ready to publish.”

“Stop,” Jared admonished, tightening his arms. “It’s amazing. You’re amazing. Stop doing that and let me compliment you for once.”

He squirmed uncomfortably but remained silent. “You really like it?” he asked eventually.

“Yeah. Definitely. It’s your best one yet. And I’m not just saying that because I get to sleep with you every night.”

Turning around to face Jared, he cupped his cheek and said softly, “Thanks.”

“Welcome.” Jared grinned and leaned forward to brush a kiss to his nose, his forehead, and finally his mouth. 

Jensen pressed closer and deepened the kiss. And of course, that was when Kara ruined the moment by coming in the kitchen and asking when dinner would be ready. He felt Jared’s lips curve into a smile against his, and really, Jensen couldn’t be mad, not when he had all this in his life. Jared bent to pick Kara up, and they finished dinner together.

Really THE END this time.


End file.
